49ers notes: Boldin got what he wanted from Ravens

SANTA CLARA – Five weeks after wide receiver Anquan Boldin played a key role in the Baltimore Ravens’ victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, he was traded to the team he helped defeat.

Torrey Smith, his former Ravens teammate, expressed his displeasure at the time, writing on Twitter: “This business is BS at times.”

But as Boldin prepares to face his former team for the first time, he said there is no lingering bitterness. In fact, he said he got exactly what he wanted from the three-year union.

“I went there to win a championship, so job done,” Boldin said. “I understand the business part of it now. No team is the same the following year. It wasn’t a big surprise.”

Only four Baltimore starters from its Super Bowl team remain with the organization. Boldin and Smith are now with the 49ers, who play host to the Ravens on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

“It’s the business part,” Boldin said. “That’s the part you really hate. And when you compare it to teams in the past, say the 49ers, for example. You knew coming in who was going to be on the team. Jerry Rice, John Taylor, (Tom) Rathman, (Joe) Montana, Brent Jones, everybody was here, and that’s where a lot of the continuity came in.

“That’s why those guys won so many games and played in so many championships because year-in and year-out, it was the same guys. As opposed to now days, every year it’s a different team.”

---As the 49ers prepare to face Baltimore, the memory of Super Bowl XLVII brought back some dark days for left tackle Joe Staley. He was asked about how close the 49ers came to winning the sport’s ultimate prize.

“We had first-and-goal from the seven-yard line or whatever,” Staley said. “We were in the huddle saying, ‘We’re about to have a parade and about to be Super Bowl champions.’ And we lost. I remember how (expletive) of a feeling that was. I’d never cried in a sporting event ever in my life besides that moment.

“Thanks for bringing that up.”

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Staley said there was “no question” that 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick would have scored on a 5-yard run after the two-minute warning. But coach Jim Harbaugh was forced to call a timeout to avoid a delay-of-game penalty. The 49ers were kept out of the end zone after three consecutive incomplete passes in which Kaepernick targeted Michael Crabtree, and the Ravens held on for a 34-31 victory.

“I’ll always have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder from that game,” Staley said. “I’ll probably never get over it.”

---Linebacker Gerald Hodges was acquired last week in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. He was not active for the game against the New York Giants after being a starter with the Vikings.

“Oh, yeah, it’s definitely tough,” Hodges said. “As a football player, you want to be on the field at all times. I had to come in and show and prove my worth before they can pull the trigger. It’s just part of the transition.”

Hodges got some practice reps with the 49ers’ defense in practices Wednesday and Thursday, and he said he’ll be ready for whatever role he might be assigned against the Ravens.

“I’m excited to go out there and play, and I’m ready to do what they need me to do,” he said.

---Andrew Tiller was the highest-ranked guard in the NFL exhibition season, albeit while playing in the second half of games, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading system. Still, when it came time for the 49ers to cut to the 53-man roster limit, Tiller received bad news.

“Even if I wasn’t ranked the top guard in the league, I was still disappointed because I got cut,” Tiller said. “I just knew I needed to work harder to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish.”

Tiller signed with the 49ers’ practice squad. After impressing in practices for the first five weeks of the season, he was promoted on the eve of the 49ers’ game last week against the New York Giants. Tiller played 34 snaps, as he split time with starter Jordan Devey.

“I was like, ‘Wow, it finally happened; I finally got my chance on the field,’ " Tiller said. “After the game I felt like I did a good job, for the most part. Went back and watched the film. I had a few mistakes, of course. Hopefully, I’ll go out this week and get them corrected.”

Coach Jim Tomsula has described Tiller as “heavy-handed.” Tiller said that means, “Once you get your hands on somebody, they don’t go anywhere.” He credits his strong grip on the practice of working his hands through buckets of rice while he was in junior college. He said he also spends a lot of time in the weight room on strengthening his forearms.

“I’ve always had high expectations for Tiller,” 49ers guard Alex Boone said. “He’s a great player. He’s aggressive. He’s the perfect guard. He did a great job on Sunday.”

Tiller figures to have an expanded role in Sunday against the Ravens.

---Tight end Vernon Davis has missed two games with a grade-1 medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee and a bone bruise. He is listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game. With Davis out, the 49ers may have received an upgrade at that position from Garrett Celek.

Celek caught a five-yard touchdown pass last week. It was the first touchdown from a 49ers’ tight end since Davis caught two scoring passes in the 2014 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Celek’s older brother, Brent, also caught a touchdown pass on Sunday in the Philadelphia Eagles’ win over New Orleans.

“Pretty awesome,” Garrett Celek said. “I’ve always wanted that to happen.”

Celek, who entered the season with eight career receptions in 28 career games, has 14 catches for 131 yards through five games.

“In the passing game, I’ve gotten a little bit better every time,” Celek said. “Coach always says, ‘savviness.’ I think my feel for certain things has gotten better. I’m not the fastest guy in the world, but if you have the ability to get open then I think that’s big.”

When asked if Celek was the 49ers’ best all-around tight end, offensive coordinator Geep Chryst did not seem to disagree.

“I’ll tell you what, Garrett’s done a great job,” Chryst said.

“What a great job Garrett’s doing and deservedly so. To be a starting tight end in the NFL, he’s earned that right.”

---Center Daniel Kilgore is eligible to begin practice next week after serving six weeks on the physically-unable-to-perform list due to a follow-up surgery from a fractured left lower leg he sustained a year ago. But because the 49ers return to action Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks, Kilgore figures he will get at least one more week of rehab before he’s cleared to practice.

“I don’t expect them to bring me back on a short week,” Kilgore said.

---Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the coaching staff is undecided about whether cornerback Shareece Wright, whom the 49ers released last week, will suit up for Sunday’s game against his former teammates.

“We’ll sit down as a staff and just decide where he’s at,” Harbaugh said. “Is he ready? Physically, he’s ready. He’s been practicing right through. He hasn’t missed any practice at all. So, he’s moving very well. Obviously, he’s a good player. I’m pleased with what we’ve seen that way. Whether he’s enough up to speed, we’ll have to make that decision. Obviously, that won’t be known until game time.”

Davis said he does not believe Wright’s intelligence of the 49ers’ operation will have any kind of impact on the game.

“I don’t think he’s a threat to what we’re trying to accomplish,” Davis said. “We need to just go out and play ball. We’re not really worried about that. . . It happens all the time. They’re going to take it upon themselves to come up with the best game plan and tweak the offense if it needs to be tweaked.”