Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this week, Green Bay Packers rookie Datone Jones had some words of wisdom for the San Francisco 49ers and Colin Kaepernick: Stop running or Kap will get injured.

Jones’ full quote is below. When he gave the comments about Kaepernick he was talking about the Packers vs. 49ers divisional round playoff game:

I thought he was pretty good. But I don’t think they’re going to be able to run him like that. He takes one good hit, there goes their season.

Unless you are a Packers fan you are probably wondering, who the heck is Datone Jones? He was selected by Green Bay in the first-round of last month’s draft as a linebacker out of UCLA. A big reason why the Packers decided to select Jones is because he was known for his skills facing read-option offenses in college.

Kaepernick set an NFL record for most rushing yards by quarterback in a playoff game when he rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns in the 45-31 win over Green Bay. The Packers coaching staff had no answers for stopping Kaepernick and the read-option. With the rise of running quarterbacks last season like Kap and Robert Griffin III, the Packers are hoping the selection of Jones will help the team avoid giving up big plays to running quarterbacks. Green Bay’s coaches even went to Texas A&M in the offseason for a better understanding of stopping the read-option.

One issue I have with Jones’ comments is he makes it seem like the 49ers offense completely revolves around the read-option and Kaepernick running the football. All one would have to do is look at the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons that followed the Packers game to see that is not true. Kap only had two carries for 21 yards against Falcons. Plus, a majority of his runs last season came on broken pass plays where the no one was open or the protection broke down. In fact, most of his runs in the game against the Packers were on scrambles.

Another issue with Jones’ comments is he thinks Kaepernick is a careless runner. However, I don’t recall any major hits Kap took last season. That’s because when running the read-option, if there is nowhere to run, Kap can just hand it off. If a team focuses in on stopping him from running, he either hands it off to the running back or looks to pass the football. See the game against the Falcons.

The reason why Kaepernick continued running against the Packers in the divisional playoff game is because Green Bay’s defense could not stop him. I doubt Jones watched all of the games Kap started last season. Because if he had, he would have seen the read-option is only a small part of the Niners offense.

The Packers will not have to wait long to see if their offseason tutorials and the drafting of Jones to stop the read-option will pay off. The 49ers will host the Packers in Week 1 to open the 2013 season.

Credit: www.cbssports.com

According to tweets from CBS Sports reporter Jason La Canfora, the San Francisco 49ers are in talks with TV analyst Eric Mangini for a consultant job with the team. Mangini currently works for ESPN and he is the former head coach of the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns.

Former Jets head coach Eric Mangini, currently a broadcast analyst, has been in talks with the 49ers about a consulting position

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) May 15, 2013

Mangini’s role with the 49ers, if it came together, would be to assist the offense with ideas on how to prepare for certain defenses, etc

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) May 15, 2013

Mangini did not have much success in his years with the Jets (23-25 record) and Browns (10-32 record), but there is no doubt he has tremendous football smarts. I believe he would be a great hire and addition to Jim Harbaugh’s staff.

If hired, Mangini would consult with the offensive line on defensive fronts the team is facing each week. Now you are probably thinking the 49ers have one of the best, if not the best, offensive lines in NFL. So why hire him?

One reason is if you look at each game the 49ers lost/tied last season, San Francisco gave up 3, 6, 4, 2.5 and 1 sack respectively in those games. Also, the offensive line ranked 30^th in sacks per pass play last season, which does not exactly scream the best offensive line in the NFL. Mangini would help limit the sacks the offensive line gives up each game.

Another reason is, why not hire Mangini? He will only make the offensive line better by bringing his extensive defensive and offensive knowledge to San Francisco. He will help the 49ers beat teams like the Seattle Seahawks whose defense held the Niners to only 13 points in each game last season.

What do you think Niner fans? Is it a smart move to hire Mangini?

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After leading the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in only his second season, quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been the most talked about Niner this offseason. With his new celebrity status Kaepernick presented the Vocal Duo of the Year at the Country Music Awards and most recently met he with First Lady Michelle Obama. He even got a picture with the First Lady Kaepernicking.

The offseason attention is only growing with the news that Kaepernick will be featured in ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue. Not only will Kap’s physique be on display, but also his numerous tattoos on his body. Before the Super Bowl, Kap said in an interview that each of his tattoos signify something that he believes in. Of course none of his offseason activities has prevented or distracted him from his workouts and preparing for the new the season.

Kaepernick on being featured in the Body Issue:

Being selected by ESPN the Magazine for the body issue is an incredible honor. Thank you for believing in me, my 49ers family, and my INK!

Kap is not the first Niner to appear in the Body Issue. Linebacker Patrick Willis was featured in the 2010 edition. Speaking of Willis, a new funny commercial for Foot Locker was released that featured the linebacker. He shot the commercial back in March and it’s hilarious. See the video of the commercial below.