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Kent Somers' piece about NFL rookies combining to start more games than in the past caught my attention Friday. I wanted to know how many games NFC West players have started as rookies in recent seasons. I wanted to break down the numbers by team ...

Rolando McClain's early retirement from the NFL comes three years after the Oakland Raiders made him the eighth overall choice in the 2010 draft. NFL Games Started By 2010 First-Rounders Pick Player Starts 10 Tyson Alualu ...

Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor recently became the fourth 2010 NFC West draft choice to sign a second contract with his original team. The number of choices a team signs to second contracts can help evaluate overall draft success, especial...

The San Francisco 49ers have generally done a good job identifying which players to re-sign ahead of time. Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, NaVorro Bowman and Joe Staley stand as examples from past seasons. Deciding against paying big money for other...

The 2012 battle for NFC West supremacy between the San Francisco 49ers' and Seattle Seahawks' has turned into a perceived battle this offseason. "It just feels like the Seahawks make a move, then the Niners make a move," former NFL quarterback Dam...

Jay from Cincinnati wants to know how Colin Kaepernick's contract situation with the San Francisco 49ers might align with future increases in salary-cap allotments. "With the cap expected to jump for 2015," he writes, "that seems like perfect timi...

NEW ORLEANS -- Thoughts on the San Francisco 49ers' 34-31 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII: What it means: The 49ers came excruciatingly close to a sixth Super Bowl title, but they couldn't draw up or execute the winning plays wi...

NEW ORLEANS -- The Baltimore Ravens' defense dominated the right side of the San Francisco 49ers' offensive line during a 2011 game in Baltimore. The 49ers made a significant upgrade since then by moving Alex Boone into the lineup at right guard. ...

Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden has chosen the San Francisco 49ers' offensive line as the NFL's best for the 2012 season. 2012 49ers Starting QBs QB Smith Kaepernick Starts 9 9 Time in pocket 2.76 2.87 ...

The three NFC West teams reaching the Super Bowl over the past eight seasons had an important similarity. All three kept their offensive lines intact all season. That is the case for the San Francisco 49ers as their linemen -- left tackle Joe S...

Arizona Cardinals: Kevin Kolb is expected to miss another week, at least, with the rib injuries he suffered against Buffalo in Week 6. Receiver Andre Roberts (ankle) missed practice Wednesday. Safety Justin Bethel (shoulder), receiver LaRon Byrd (hea...

NaVorro Bowman has joined Daryl Washington and James Laurinaitis as NFC West inside linebackers with new contract extensions in 2012. The San Francisco 49ers announced a five-year deal with Bowman after ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted that an agreeme...

A few thoughts on where NFC West teams and players stand -- or do not stand -- in ongoing fan balloting for the Pro Bowl: The San Francisco 49ers have an NFC-high 17 players ranking among the top five in balloting at their positions. Green Bay (1...

Chris Long's performance for the St. Louis Rams during their Week 10 tie against San Francisco bears revisiting. The fifth-year defensive end had been critical of his play against Green Bay a few weeks earlier. The Rams were going to need better f...

NFL teams would rather have a young future Pro Bowl prospect than a washed-up player with a Pro Bowl in his distant past. For that reason, the number of players on a roster with Pro Bowl experience isn't an air-tight way to measure roster strength...

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 10: Teams facing the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers tend to focus on containing those teams' strong running games. This could be opening up first-down opportunities for quarterbacks Russell Wilson and...