San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington posted a video today on Instagram of a crazy one-handed catch while practicing in preparation for the team's upcoming training camp.
Ellington was fighting a hamstring issue toward the end of the 2014 season and missed most of the 49ers' offseason programs due to the injury. A now healthy Ellington looks to compete for the 49ers' number three wide receiver spot behind Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith as well as the competition as a returner on special teams. He was the team's return man last season.
Baldinger explains why 49ers' Kyle Shanahan should have challenged the catch vs. Eagles
By David Bonilla
Jan 31
It wasn't a catch. We learned that soon after the Philadelphia Eagles quickly got back to the line of scrimmage and ran another play, after which the San Francisco 49ers could do nothing.
In what looked like an amazing one-handed leaping grab by DeVonta Smith, replays showed that the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver failed to maintain possession. Many feel that, in the end, it would not have mattered. The Eagles ended up winning the NFC Championship Game 31-7.
Maybe it would have mattered, though.
Who knows what would have happened had officials overturned that play call? The drive would have ended because it was a 29-yard catch
It didn't wind up making a huge difference in the end, but the decision on the 49ers' end to not challenge what was incorrectly called a catch by Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith on the first drive of Sunday's NFC Championship game could have resulted in a healthy amount of second-guessing towards 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, had the game wound up being much closer than it was.
But, as Shanahan explained after the game, the 49ers didn't see the angle of the play that would have overturned the original call, and the Eagles were able to get their next play off before anyone had a chance to review the play.
Smith made what originally looked like a dazzling one-handed 29-yard catch on a 4th-and-3 play of the game's opening possession, setting up the Eagles with
Key stats from the 49ers' 31-7 NFC Championship Game loss vs. the Eagles
By Site Staff
Jan 29
The San Francisco 49ers lost 31-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Below are several statistics and notes from Sunday's game, which were provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
Christian McCaffrey
RB Christian McCaffrey registered 14 carries for 84 yds. and 1 TD to go along with 4 recepts. for 22 yds. He has now registered at least 50 scrimmage yds. and 1 TD in all 4 of his career postseason games.
He is the 8th player and 6th RB since 1970 to accomplish the feat in at least each of his first 4 postseason games (RB Marcus Allen, LAA/KC - 7 games, RB Terrell Davis, Den. - 7, RB Curtis Martin, NE/NYJ - 5, WR Randy
Analyst and former All-Pro O-lineman: "Jimmy Garoppolo is just an injury-prone quarterback"
By David Bonilla
22 hrs
Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle took a stab at defending Kyle Shanahan and his play calling from fans and media who place at least part of the blame for the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback injuries on the shoulders of the head coach. It's a fascinating read. Silver argues that the quarterback woes have more to do with poor luck than Shanahan unnecessarily putting his signal-callers in harm's way.
Whether or not you want to accept Silver's stand on the situation is up to you. The topic has created much debate among the fanbase, but it is a discussion for another day.
One thing was made clear this week. Jimmy Garoppolo, the