Has 49ers rookie Upton Stout put himself in position to start in Week 1? (paywall) “It wasn’t that long ago when the 23-year-old Stout played as Warner in the “Madden NFL” video game. The fact they communicate with each other on a play-by-play basis has been surreal for Stout, who can be almost too critical of himself at times. He said he just doesn’t want to be a letdown for his teammates, Warner especially.

In his latest KNBR radio appearance, Warner didn’t sound too disappointed: “Right now the guy that’s sticking out to me most, I got to say Upton Stout. Probably the smallest dog in the fight, but the biggest dog in here (points to heart) where it counts. … The guy’s got it.”

Stout has a tendency to nitpick the smallest mistakes from what his coaches may consider a good practice; he

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