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NFL owners on Thursday allocated $200 million in funding for the future 49ers stadium in Santa Clara, a crucial and long-awaited piece in paying for the $1 billion project, according to team owner Jed York. NFL owners voted on stadium funding today during a meeting in Indianapolis, which is hosting the Super Bowl. York tweeted the news after the meeting, saying it was "A big step forward today." "With the NFL's muscle now behind the new stadium, we are moving forward," York said. "I expect an official groundbreaking ceremony very soon." ... York is expected to hold a conference call...

Just amazing. This kid has had death threats because of his two fumbles in loss to Giants. LISTEN TO DAN PATRICK SHOW

Eli and Brady rematch? Two brothers? Give your predictions and make comments here.

Just for the record, the San Francisco 49ers will defeat the New Orleans Saints today. The stats and hype indicate a Saints win by a score of 49-28 or some such blowout. Forget the stats; ignore the hype. Good defense beats good offense as surely as good pitching beats good hitting. The 49ers have great defense; the Saints, great offense. The same principle applies. San Francisco's special teams are a game changer. The 49ers can score by reaching the other team's 40 yard line because the field goal kicker is long-distance machine. They keep the other team pinned deep in...

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers - 1PM FOX Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans - 1PM CBS Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars - 1PM CBS New York Jets at Miami Dolphins - 1PM CBS Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings - 1PM FOX Buffalo Bill at New England Patriots - 1PM CBS Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints - 1PM FOX Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles - 1PM FOX San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams - 1PM FOX Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals - 4:15PM FOX Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons - 4:15PM FOX Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati...

At long last, the 49ers' turbulent drive for a new home in Silicon Valley is reaching the end zone. The NFL team and Santa Clara announced Friday that they have captured all the money needed to build a proposed $1 billion football stadium next to the Great America theme park -- the largest and final obstacle needed before construction can start. "It's like first-and-goal from the 9-yard line," said Ron Garratt, a consultant helping lead the project for the city. "We think we're going to score from here." The funding deal was spelled out in a development contract that caps...

<p>With the loss, Coach Mike Shanahan's team falls to 3-5.</p> <p>As the fourth quarter started Sunday at FedEx Field, with the Washington Redskins’ offense and the third quarterback of the Mike Shanahan era struggling mightily, the burgundy and gold clad crowd started to boo, and one fan in earshot of the press box yelled: “We want Norv Turner back!”</p>

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two men were shot and wounded in the parking lot of Candlestick Park after a preseason NFL game Saturday night between the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders, police said. The shootings occurred around 8 p.m., shortly after the 49ers' 17-3 victory, police Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.

Camp Alex II is officially over. Nobody knows for certain when the San Francisco 49ers will begin training camp. Or if Alex Smith can be as successful of a quarterback this fall as he has been this summer. The 49ers' former and apparently future quarterback ended his final scheduled informal team workout Friday. After organizing two separate four-day mini-camps at San Jose State that included most of the offensive players, Smith said he has installed about as much of new coach Jim Harbaugh's West Coast system as he can this summer. All he can do now is wait for the...

Local San Francisco radio is announing Harbaugh has signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers have fired offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, according to a league source. The team announced the firing Monday, one day after it fell to 0-3 and was beaten 31-10 at Kansas City. San Francisco has scored 38 points, second fewest in the NFL behind Carolina. Mike Johnson will move from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Offensive assistant Jason Michael will take over as quarterbacks coach. 49ers coach Mike Singletary and Raye have not seen eye-to-eye about the reasons for the team's struggling offense. The 49ers were considered a favorite in the NFC West this year, but their...

Glen Coffee, the backup running back who shocked the 49ers last week by retiring at age 23, said he is leaving football for a higher calling. In an interview with the Mobile (Ala.) Press Register, the former University of Alabama standout said, "True happiness is glorifying God and glorifying Christ. That's what true happiness is. ... And for me, that wasn't the NFL. That wasn't where I needed to be." Coffee was competing for the No. 2 job behind Frank Gore before skipping an afternoon practice Thursday without explanation. He returned Friday morning to tell coach Mike Singletary that he...

Santa Clara voters Tuesday approved Measure J, the San Francisco 49ers' plan to build a $937 million stadium in their community. The measure took a strong early lead, and although results from the city's precincts were coming in slowly, the crush of mail ballots that was reported minutes after the polls closed was enough for the victory. Santa Clara officials and several hundred stadium supporters packed into an American Legion hall to celebrate the anticipated passage of Measure J. While precinct results were slow to arrive, the stadium supporters exuded confidence. By 9:30 p.m., the pro-Measure J leaders already were...

Despite weather, 49ers are storming the Cards tonight. Too much AZ turnovers. Gore just scored a touchdown. SF 24, AZ 9

The 49ers had pulled to within three and were driving with 1:38 remaining in the game....

After one day of face-to-face talks, the 49ers have reached a deal with first-round draft pick Michael Crabtree. Working into the early morning, Crabtree signed a six-year deal, ending his contract impasse after 72 days. As of 4 a.m., no other details were available. The No. 10 overall pick will be at the team's Santa Clara headquarters today when the 49ers hit the practice field after Tuesday's day off. Citing league sources, ESPN reported that the Crabtree will get a six-year contract that he can void in five years if he meets undefined performance clauses.

A dolphin or porpoise (there are subtle differences between the two) somehow wondered into Coyote Creek in Santa Clara. The mammal was discovered just outside the 49ers training facility. The find quickly attracted a crowd of both onlookers and reporters alike. Experts from the Marine Mammal Center out of Sausalito came down and made quick work of rescuing the animal. The team took the creature to its Sausalito-based center for medical treatment. By midday, the tide was starting to turn taking the water out, which put a real time pressure on the rescue effort. If you know the area, you...

The Santa Clara City Council may decide tonight to bless a $937 million stadium project for the San Francisco 49ers. But San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has some advice for the voters in the South Bay city, who will have to agree: Don't do it. Instead of using nearly $80 million in city funds on a 68,500-seat stadium that will host only a handful of football games each year, Santa Clara should instead spend the money on other city needs like schools, Newsom said. "That's a lot of money to spend on a team that won't even change its name,"...

The San Francisco 49ers on Friday acknowledged that the battered economy likely will slow down their plans to build a new stadium in Santa Clara and now has them willing to discuss a once unthinkable option — sharing a new home with their cross-bay rival, the Raiders. Combining resources with the Oakland Raiders — as the New York Jets and Giants have done on a new $1.6 billion stadium — may be the only way for the 49ers to overcome frozen financial markets to fund a new stadium, NFL insiders and sports economists say. Team officials said Friday that they...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco 49ers defended their pat-down searches of fans before an apparently divided California Supreme Court today, saying ticket-buyers know they'll be searched when they walk into Candlestick Park and give up their right to argue that their privacy is being invaded.