As the San Francisco 49ers turn the page to a Week 5 road contest against the New York Giants, Jim Tomsula addressed some of the hot topics facing his team.
The 49ers head coach began his Wednesday press conference with a brief health update.
Quinton Patton (concussion) is currently going through the league protocol but "felt great" on Tuesday, per the 49ers coach. Patton's status for Sunday's game is up in the air.
The same can be said for Vernon Davis (knee). Tomsula said the tight end will go through an extended stretch before Wednesday's practice in the hopes of mixing him in a bit during the session.
NaVorro Bowman will get his usual veteran's day off on Wednesday. Joe Staley and Alex Boone will also get Wednesday off. Tomsula said that Boone, who previously dealt with a shoulder injury, got rolled up on against the Packers and tweaked his ankle.
The head coach said he didn't entertain the idea that either of the offensive linemen would miss Sunday's game.
Here are the top 3 other notes from Tomsula.
1. Ahmad Brooks was given excused absence on Wednesday due to family reasons. Tomsula was ambiguous on the exact nature of the absence and whether or not Brooks will return this week.
"We keep him and his family in our prayers," Tomsula said.
2. Tomsula touched briefly on Gerald Hodges, the linebacker the 49ers acquired via trade on Tuesday from the Minnesota Vikings. Hodges totaled 19 tackles in four games (three starts) with the Vikings so far this season.
"Gerald is a guy we knew about coming out of college and thought a lot of him from a personnel standpoint," Tomsula said. "We obviously prepared for (the Vikings) in the first game and saw him again. That became available in a trade and we went in that direction. We're happy to have him. He's a big, physical linebacker."
3. The 49ers head coach continued to show support for Colin Kaepernick despite subpar performances in the team's last two contests. When asked again, Tomsula reiterated that there is no competition at quarterback.
"It is 100 percent my decision," Tomsula said. "I believe in the quarterback. I believe in Colin Kaepernick."
The coach stressed that in tough times, you can't be emotional when making decisions and it's important to think everything through. He said that creating a competition at that position starts a number of different things, and Tomsula hasn't seen Kaepernick's confidence shaken.
Tomsula did say that he's had conversations with Kaepernick about going out and just playing his game without the worry of making mistakes.
"If you are, stop, can't happen," Tomsula said. "You can't play that way. … Don't play not to make a mistake. Play to make the play. That's something we've hit head on to make sure we don't have anyone on this team in that situation."
