When we tag the TV49 videos "49ers.com – Football 365 days a year," it's because we're covering the team on a daily basis. Each month of the calendar offers unique events to cover for you, the 49ers Faithful. And now that it's the final day of 2010, it's a fitting time to look back at the year that was. Here's a brief rundown of all things 49ers.com – videos, stories, blogs, etc. with some analysis along the way.
January
The 49ers began 2010 with a win in their season finale over the St. Louis Rams. Five days later, Jerry Rice was named as a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist… I think we all know how that turned out. The offseason began with an episode of the Joe Show where players competed in rock-paper-scissors. We also took a look back at every touchdown from the 2009 season. Midway through the month, the players went their separate ways for the offseason. Josh Morgan performed with the Harlem Globetrotters and five 49ers performed with the NFC's best in the 2010 Pro Bowl game. We covered the Pro Bowl week and saw [Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Justin Smith and Andy Lee all have strong games in South Florida.
February
We began the month by taking a look at the development of linebacker , who eventually signed a two-year contract with the team later in the offseason. We profiled the outgoing personality of linebacker , who was just recently awarded with the Gary Niver Award for professionalism with the media. Second-year defensive tackle Pierre Garçon lost family members to the earthquakes in Haiti, but the lineman made sure he helped raise money and spent time visiting the children of Little Haiti in his hometown of Miami. Vernon Davis began his jet-setting offseason with an appearance at the Winter Olympics, serving as an honorary captain for the US Curling Team. Jerry Rice was in fact nominated for enshrinement into the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame class and the month closed out with our trip to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine.
MarchAt the combine we heard from practically every top draft prospect. Meanwhile, Scott Kegley caught up some NFL insiders and I interviewed a player with my same exact name (he was later drafted by the Patriots).The trip to Indianapolis was documented with a NinerCam video, the first of several road videos in 2010. On the West Coast, our players continued to serve as role models in the community, Willis surprised an elementary school, while Davis visited with our troops in the Middle East. Later, Scott McCloughan and the 49ers mutually parted ways, leaving the General Manager vacancy that the team is currently looking to fill. A handful of players made the trip to Lake Tahoe for the team’s annual Celebrity Winter Fest. Such events are the reason that the 49ers Foundation has generated $10 million to non-profit agencies in the Bay Area in the last eight years. Players returned for offseason workouts and we found out what tackle looks like with reading glasses.
April
Trades, free agency, the creation of the 2010 Gold Rush squad and the beginning stages of the offseason workout program took shape at the start of April. But the month was really all about the NFL Draft. We spoke to the 2009 rookie class about their first-year experiences and coincidentally profiled players we ended up drafting like Victor Bolden Jr. and Eli Harold. We then covered an action-packed night when the NFL had its first ever primetime draft. Vice President of Player Personnel Trent Baalke called it a “perfect storm” when the 49ers selected Anthony Davis and Iupati in the first round. We were there to pick up Davis from the airport, and document the linemen’s first day at team headquarters as 49ers.
May
May could go down as one of the more important months of the year. Willis signed a five-year extension; we in turn dedicated the website to him, and put together a video of his greatest hits in 49ers red and gold. Tackle Alex Boone took our NinerCam and began documenting behind the scenes in what became his own show on TV49, “Boone Docs.” Organized team activities (OTAs) began and we took a look at Gore’s continued success. Even after fracturing his hip Week 12 at Arizona, you could argue Gore was having one of his best seasons to date. We ended May by remembering one of our biggest fans, “Niner” Jan Boehm.
JuneThe season was months away, but the 49ers scored a major win off the field when the voters of Santa Clara approved plans to build a new stadium for the team. The team had 14 OTAs conclude in June and a few minicamps, which allowed us to put microphones on some of the coaches and create "Sounds to Sounds" videos. Staley hosted another “Joe Show” episode and was on a search for a co-host. We closed out the month by profiling Davis, our first, first-round selection of 2010 and caught up with Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott.
July
Players enjoyed some more time off before the start of training camp. But did we? Well, maybe a little. We profiled safety as well as covered the week-long 49ers Youth Football Camp. Two of our wideouts, Josh Morgan and took us on a tour of their internship at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. We aired the second episode of “Boone Docs,” and we signed all of our draft picks in time for training camp.
AugustTraining camp began with more of Mike Singletary's "Nutcracker Drill," along with more fan interviews and of course, plenty of content considering camp is basically two practices a day for an entire month (including Kegley's day as an equipment intern). We signed to add depth to the quarterback position, a move that helped the 49ers win big games in the second half of the season. Later on, we debuted “Ask Teddy Football” with team broadcaster Ted Robinson and that Rice guy was fittingly inducted into the Hall of Fame to cap an eventful month.
SeptemberAfter locking up Willis for the future, the 49ers did the same with Vernon Davis. But soon after, the 49ers season of missed opportunities began in Seattle with a loss that featured several mistakes in the red zone. Cornerback Shawntae Spencer unveiled his TV49 show, "Spencer for Hire," where he took fans behind the scenes of jobs within the 49ers organization. The 49ers lost a heart-breaker to the world champion New Orleans Saints on a night in which they retired Rice’s No. 80 jersey. The 49ers continued their strong presence in the community by teaming up with actor Matthew McConaughey to help kids stay active and play 60 minutes a day.
OctoberThe early season struggles carried into the month of October as the 49ers began 2010 0-5, but things turned for the better when they won the Battle of the Bay over their cross-town rivals. The 49ers came [oh-so-close to beating the
](http://www.49ers.com/news-and-events/article-2/49ers-Lose-Heartbreaker-in-Atlanta/97247cf2-fc68-4165-b825-4e8b846c15e8), a loss that they'd surely like to have back. We began weekly conversations with key performers and coaches and made our way overseas to London. It was a great week in the UK, which was culminated with a breakout win over the Denver Broncos.
NovemberWe profiled the progress of center and Donavin Newsom, while players enjoyed their bye week, but not before they reflected on the first half of the season. Morgan welcomed his 49ers Kids Club poetry contest winner and he and his teammates dominated Arizona on “Monday Night Football.” The 49ers picked up two wins in the month, thanks to the rise of Troy Smith’s play. The 49ers also served the community during Thanksgiving and honored the Alumni and original team owners at their annual Alumni Weekend festivities.
December
The 49ers had plenty to play for despite entering the final month of the regular season with a 4-7 record, but a 1-3 record in the month sealed their fate as non-playoff participants for an eighth-consecutive season. Alex Smith was named starter against Seattle, and enjoyed his best performance of his career, returned home to San Diego, but was defeated by a talented Chargers squad. Despite the frustrating season, Willis and defensive tackle Justin Smith were named to the Pro Bowl. Players took underprivileged kids on a Christmas shopping spree and dismissed Singletary as their head coach. Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was named interim head coach and has the team ready to win this Sunday at Candlestick.
From all of us at 49ers.com, thanks for visiting us daily for all things 49ers. Have a Happy New Year!
