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The missing piece?
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Warren Harding High graduate Mario Manninghan, right, waves, while former Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn Jr., left, looks on during a DeBartolo Foundation dinner Monday at Leo’s in Howland.
HOWLAND
San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said he hears comments that the team had a great season in 2011.
Despite reigning as NFC West Division champs and winning their first playoff game in nine years, Baalke won’t be satisfied until the 49ers win it all. He considers 2011 a “good season.”
Standing in the same room at Leo’s Ristorante Monday evening was the player who almost single-handedly clinched that ultimate prize for the New York Giants, someone whose catch in the closing minutes of the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots can’t be considered anything but spectacular.
Since acquiring Mario Manningham as a free agent in mid-March, San Francisco may be closer to granting Baalke his wish.
“It feels great,” Manningham said in describing his approval of his new team.
He also used the word “spectacular” in referring to the 49ers who finished 14-4 after losing to Manningham and the Giants, 20-17, on a field goal in OT on January 22.
“They were spectacular last year,” said Manningham of Warren. “The defense played good and the offense played good. I’m just trying to come in here and make plays.”
The catch of a pass from Eli Manning to help the Giants win the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, was seen on football’s biggest stage and Manningham hears about it repeatedly.
“People are still talking about it and I’m hoping it’ll be done again,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal.”
The 26-year-old will continue working out in the next few weeks between this area and the 49ers’ facility in Santa Clara.
Manningham mentioned his high school days under Steve Arnold and Tom McDaniels in basketball and football at Harding.
“We take pride in those sports,” he said. “It’s up to your coaches to guide you in the right place, but it’s up to your mentality whether you want to bring it out or not or be that top player or not. Keep your head up and stay out of trouble.”
Also in the same room prior to the banquet for the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. Memorial Scholarship Foundation was Ted Ginn Jr.
“It’s great to have a great player because you can learn from one another,” Ginn said of Manningham, once a rival, but now a teammate.
“I’ve know Mario almost my whole life because we played against each other in high school and then in Ohio State-Michigan games. Now we’re together.”
Ginn Jr., who begins his fourth year with San Francisco, is also a wide receiver. “As the year goes on, both of us should have good success,” he said.
Ginn said that last year’s lockout had a beneficial effect because it drew players closer, but it set back any progress.
“[Last summer] We had to come in and get on the right page at the right time, but now the players are a little bit ahead of last year because of chemistry developed through OTAs and off-season training.
“We should pick up where we left off last year,” Ginn Jr. said.
Team president Jed York said that Manningham’s acquisition was huge.
“He’s a guy we really liked and we weren’t sure he’d get free agency,” he said. “Luckily, he did and we approached him. I think where our team was last year and the work we put in sort of appealed to Mario and we wanted to make sure it was a good fit and I think he’s enjoyed him time so far with the Niners and I think he could be a big addition for us.”
Asked if any financial arm-twisting was needed to make the two-year deal work, York said: “He was pretty happy with the deal. He had a choice as to where he wanted to go and we’re lucky that he came to the 49ers.”
With coach Jim Harbaugh and other new blood, will San Francisco continue its resurgence?
“We had great season last year,” said the 31-year-old York, “but you can’t live off of last season and what you did. You have to get to work and you have to keep pushing yourself every day. That’s the approach we’ve taken with the 49ers, to just get better one day at a time. If you keep getting better one day at a time, hopefully, you end up in a good place at the end of the season.
Linebacker Aldon Smith, a second-year player out of Missouri, spoke of the improvement that a player of Manningham’s caliber could provide.
“He’s made some great catches in his career, so, anytime you have somebody who can add to the offensive arsenal, we’ll take it,” he said.
Nate Byham, a former Pitt player from Franklin, Pa. enters his third season after missing 2011 with a torn ACL. The TE/H-back injured his left knee in training camp following the lockout.
“It was a freak accident, probably 1-in-a-1000.”
Byham, who just turned 24 last week, has something else to celebrate before training camp on July 26.
“I’m getting married in two weeks, so I’m going to try to enjoy the time off before camp gets rolling,” he said.