2012-GameRelease-Divisional

Chris Culliver Draws From Experience
By Taylor Price, 49ers.com
Player Feature Story
Jim Harbaugh has often said the biggest period of growth a player can make is from year one to year two.
In the case of the San Francisco 49ers’ sophomores, nearly two-thirds of the 2011 draft class saw
significant playing time as rookies on a division-winning team. At 49ers Organized Team Activities, the
second-year players are using early NFL experiences to propel them to greater performances.
One of those contributors, 6-foot, 199-pound cornerback Chris Culliver, believes playing time as a rookie
only increased his knowledge of the game. It’s also given him greater confidence at a difficult position.
Isolated on the perimeter against some of the league’s top wideouts as San Francisco’s nickel defensive
back in 2011, Culliver grew comfortable within Vic Fangio’s defense based on his successful games
against players like DeSean Jackson, Calvin Johnson and others.
On Tuesday, Culliver used that knowledge in one-one-one wide receiver-defensive back drills at 49ers
OTAs.
Matched up against several of the 49ers top wideouts, Culliver quickly caught on to the deep routes being
run against him.
“In most situations,” last year’s third-round pick began, “you’re not going to face consecutive 20-yard
routes unless you have full-max protection or something like that.”
Because of all the long routes being run against him in succession, Culliver anticipated a shorter route
might be coming his way in the near future.
He was right.
Just as a rookie wide receiver A.J. Jenkins slipped while breaking off his route towards the sideline,
Culliver anticipated Alex Smith’s pass and intercepted the ball in the blink of an eye.
However, it wasn’t such a big deal to a player like Culliver who registered 36 tackles, seven pass
breakups and one interception as a rookie.
“That’s not a story,” downplayed the young cornerback on his OTA interception.
In Culliver’s mind, the opportunity to impress coaches is important, but even more so is using the summer
to maximize reps with the first-team defense when they arise.
“That’s all I’m trying to do, just get better,” said Culliver, wiping the sweat off his face from a two-hour OTA
session. “I’m going to keep working hard, period.”
It appears Culliver’s efforts aren’t going unnoticed.
Asked to highlight some of the younger 49ers who’ve stood out through the team’s voluntary offseason
practices, Harbaugh said, “We could stand here and talk for a while about that. But, really pleased with
the way our guys are working right now.”
The NFL Coach of the Year went on to acknowledge the play of his defensive backs, Culliver included.
“I think our whole secondary is really performing very well,” Harbaugh said. “We’ve had a lot of passing
work; a lot of throwing work has been the emphasis. Culliver has really made strides.”