* Fly back from Africa
* Take physical with 49ers
* Sign contract
* Catch passes with Colin Kaepernick
Everything is progressing as planned for receiver Anquan Boldin, who officially became a 49er today and took a tour of the facility he'll call home this season. Still, there's one more pressing issue on his to-do list: Track down the man who will be throwing him passes in 2013.
Boldin said he got in touch with Colin Kaepernick, who is training in Atlanta, by phone as soon as Boldin returned from a charity mission in Senegal. Getting on the practice field together, he said, is the next step if they want to have the proper chemistry for the 2013 season.
"That's something that doesn't just happen overnight," Boldin said. "Any time you see a quarterback and a receiver on the same page, that means they've spent time together. So that's something I want to do."
Boldin said the time frame for establishing that rapport has differed with every quarterback he's had. It happened quickly with Jeff Blake and Josh McCown in Arizona, for example. And while he seemed to have excellent chemistry in Baltimore with Joe Flacco -- especially in the playoffs -- Boldin said that process took a lot longer.
"There has to be a trust factor," he said. "Like I said, it didn't happen overnight. It took probably a year for us to get on the same page and for him to have complete trust in me. So hopefully me and Colin can get together and try to shorten that window."
Passing a physical was the last step in completing the trade that sent Boldin to San Francisco and a sixth-round pick to Baltimore. Boldin is now playing on a one-year deal for $6 million, although he said he wouldn't mind seeing that deal extended. "I think any time you go somewhere, you don't want to just be there for a year," he said. "You definitely want to know that you're wanted. You want to feel like that's home. You don't want to feel like it's just a stop."
Number's game: Boldin said he intended to wear No. 81, which currently is being used by No. 2 tight end Garrett Celek. Meanwhile, new kicker Phil Dawson has chosen No. 9. That will create a meaningful juxtaposition when he is next to holder Andy Lee, who wears No. 4.
-- Matt Barrows








About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.