49ers vs. Cowboys: Twitter Reaction and Full Postgame Quotes
The San Francisco 49ers have closed out Week 1 of the regular season after downing the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, 28-17.
The score doesn't tell us just how dominant San Francisco was in this game. From the get-go, the 49ers controlled the momentum and dictated the play, which put to rest plenty of the questions that have surrounded the franchise entering the season.
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Still, all games mandate speculation and attention.
Some of this discussion will continue to focus on off-the-field issues, suspended players, injuries and whether or not head coach Jim Harbaugh is losing control of his team.
In this article, we'll summarize some of the recent reactions and quotes from players, coaches and analysts from around the league. This will help us gauge exactly how this 49ers team stands after an impressive showdown in Dallas.
The Injury Front
Injuries bit the 49ers hard in Week 1.
The secondary was hit particularly hard as defensive backs Tramaine Brock (toe), Chris Culliver (concussion) and Jimmie Ward (concussion) all exited the game with injuries.
Brock returned as questionable and if needed, but Culliver was ruled out of the game per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
Taylor Price of 49ers.com went into detail about how these players' absences affected San Francisco's depth:
"Rookie Dontae Johnson entered the game at right cornerback for Culliver, who was able to walk off the field under his own power. Veteran Chris Cook was inactive for the game, leaving San Francisco with just Cox and Johnson as the only healthy cornerbacks for the remainder of the game. Johnson showed he could be very effective against veteran receivers.
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Culliver has since tweeted that he is okay, but we'll have to see just how long he will be out as the team follows the NFL's protocols handling concussions.
Meanwhile, the 49ers also lost their highly touted rookie defensive back Ward. Ward has been slated as the top nickel cornerback for San Francisco entering the season, and there is no word just yet regarding how long he may be out of action.
This certainly thins out the secondary of San Francisco moving forward. With Chris Cook inactive, the 49ers' depth was indeed tested here.
We'll obviously have to play the waiting game when determining San Francisco's depth in Week 2. Perhaps Cook will be activated against the Chicago Bears when the 49ers officially open up Levi's Stadium on September 14.
Frank Gore and the Running Game
31-year-old running back Frank Gore has surpassed 10,000 rushing yards over his storied career, reminding us just how special he has been with the 49ers.
Gore finished the day with 63 yards on 16 attempts.
Here is what Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News has to say about the lofty accomplishment:
"Frank Gore became the 29th player in NFL history to rush for over 10,000 yards, doing so on a 4-yard carry in the third quarter of Sunday’s season-opener against the Cowboys. Gore’s first carry of the season went for 20 yards—but it didn’t come until the second quarter. The 49ers had only four offensive snaps and two series in the first quarter as they built their 21-3 lead. Gore had four carries for 30 yards at halftime, leaving him three yards shy of the 10,000-yard mark. He got stopped for no gain on his first carry after halftime, then dashed up the middle for a 4-yard gain to the 49ers’ 34.
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Hall of Fame legend Jerry Rice was also impressed.
But Gore was humble afterward, as illustrated to us via the folks over at Niners Nation.
Also worth pointing out was the regular-season debut of Carlos Hyde—the talented rookie out of Ohio State who looks to be the heir apparent to Gore when his storied career comes to a close.
Hyde rushed for 50 yards on seven attempts, including his first NFL touchdown.
Absences of Linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith
The regular-season test of being without NaVorro Bowman (knee injury) and Aldon Smith (suspension) began today as both players entered the year out of uniform, forcing San Francisco to make significant adjustments.
Bowman was on the sidelines for the game as expected. Smith is unable to attend practices or even watch them, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. Maiocco wrote prior to the game:
"He is eligible to make a return for the Nov. 16 game at the New York Giants, and 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believes he will be able to keep up to speed mentally and physically through that time. Smith has been seen in the team’s weight room while his teammates are on the field practicing this week, preparing to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
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Vic Fangio went into further detail via Maiocco about Smith's workout regimen during the suspension:
"He’s attending meetings and while we’re practicing, he’s working out. He’s not allowed to come out and watch practice per the league, not per us. So, I think he’s doing anything and everything he can under the guidelines that he has to work under to continue to be involved as much as he can.
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San Francisco missed its No. 1 pass-rusher against Dallas as the team struggled to put pressure on Tony Romo early on. While Justin Smith, Ahmad Brooks and rookie Aaron Lynch were able to supply some pressure later on, this element clearly needs some help here.
Additionally, the lack of Bowman at the linebacker position hindered San Francisco's run defense.
In his place, Michael Wilhoite was able to put forth a decent game—netting five tackles in the process.
Wilhoite earned the starting job over rookie Chris Borland during the preseason. But as pointed out by Bay Area Sports Guy, Wilhoite could very well lose that job at some point soon.
While Wilhoite is the safer, more experienced option, Borland clearly has a much higher ceiling in spite of his rookie inexperience.
Jim Harbaugh and the Locker Room
Coming into this Week 1 matchup, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport told NFL GameDay Morning (h/t Marc Sessler of NFL.com) that 49ers sources believed Harbaugh was losing the locker room.
"He does have two years left on his deal," Rapoport said. "But it is worth asking: Is this the last year for Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco?"
But as Inman points out, Harbaugh believes that he still has the locker room. Harbaugh stated after the game:
"I don't trust the report. I don't think it comes from our players. Because we've got the kind of relationship where they can come and talk to me, they have before consistently in the past. I notice from our players they'll go to hell and back for us and for the team.
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Maiocco goes into further detail, stating that Harbaugh doesn't believe the report came from anyone inside the 49ers' locker room.
Almost any 49ers fan could point out that Harbaugh's words are not necessarily the whole story. Harbaugh is not someone who typically reveals his hand or the team's intentions. Because of this, we should consider what the players have to say.
Eric Branch of SFGate.com was able to summarize what Pro Bowl offensive tackle Joe Staley had to say in defense of Harbaugh after the game.
In this author's opinion, the statements from one of Harbaugh's best players carry a bit more weight than a report from Rapoport.
Still, the ongoing saga surrounding Harbaugh and his relationship with the team will likely continue throughout the season, up to the point where either an extension is reached or he departs for a new venue.
Wrapping Up
The best summary of San Francisco's victory over Dallas in Week 1 comes perhaps from Schuyler Dixon of AP Sports (h/t CBS Sports).
Dixon cites the numerous turnovers committed by the Cowboys as the primary problem Dallas had in this game. Additionally, Dixon gives credit to the large numbers of 49ers fans that made their presence known at AT&T Stadium:
"When Romo wasn't throwing interceptions, the Dallas offense was getting false-start penalties and using timeouts to avoid delay-of-game penalties. Part of the problem was the noise from large swaths of red-clad 49ers fans seeing their team for the first time in the regular season in the $1.2 billion home of the Cowboys.
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Most importantly, the 49ers got off on the right foot after a tumultuous offseason hampered by injuries, off-the-field issues and suspensions.
Winning may not necessarily be a cure-all, but it certainly is a great support system.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive of 49ers' coverage, insight and analysis.
Follow him @PeterMcShots on Twitter.
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