Harbaugh not booting Akers

SANTA CLARA — Coach Jim Harbaugh made it abundantly clear Monday that there won't be another kicking controversy between now and the Super Bowl.

"The decision has been made: David Akers is our kicker," Harbaugh said at his weekly news conference.

Harbaugh said the same thing Jan. 10, two days before the 49ers played the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Divisional Playoff game at Candlestick Park.

Akers validated that decision by converting a 36-yard field goal against the Packers in his lone attempt. However, Akers missed from 38 yards against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in the NFC Championship game on his only attempt. Akers' kick veered left and hit the top of the upright.

Akers is 30 for 44 on field-goal attempts in 18 games this season. Harbaugh watched Akers kick before the Falcons game and liked what he saw.

"He had an outstanding pregame," Harbaugh said. "He was hitting the ball really well."

• THE OTHER SIDE OF KAEP — week ago, Colin Kaepernick set a record for rushing yards by a quarterback, churning out 181 against the befuddled Green Bay Packers.

The 49ers didn't run as many read-option plays against Atlanta, and when they did, the Falcons did a great job of squeezing the ends and forcing Kaepernick to hand off.

His ground numbers Sunday: two carries, 21 yards.

"Only two, huh?" right guard Alex Boone asked. "Frank (Gore) probably wanted the ball more. Frank probably just kept taking it from him."

And yet no one could say the Falcons shut down Kaepernick. He made the right decisions, moved well in the pocket when pressured, and completed 16 of 21 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. Not bad considering the 49ers played out of a 17-0 deficit.

"Going out on the field frantic isn't going to help you score points," Kaepernick said. "You have to stay calm."

• HARBAUGH HUMOR — Asked if he dreamed of coaching in the Super Bowl while growing up, he said no.

"But I will share this with you," he said. "Just the way Colin Kaepernick runs, the gracefulness of his stride, the ground that he covers, it reminds me of me when I run. And then I wake up."

• GAME ODDS — The 49ers are four-point favorites over the Baltimore Ravens in the Feb. 3 Super Bowl in New Orleans, according to the Las Vegas Hotel's Super Book. It's the second time in the past 11 years the National Football Conference champion has been favored over a team from the American Football Conference in the title game.

• INDY QBS TEAM UP — Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning will get a chance to be teammates after all — at Sunday's Pro Bowl.

Luck made his way to the game when New England's Tom Brady pulled out with an undisclosed injury.

He'll be joined by teammates Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis in Hawaii and Manning, the quarterback who preceded Luck in Indy.

• QUICK HITTERS — Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has been added to the NFC roster for the Pro Bowl after Atlanta's Matt Ryan withdrew due to an injury (sprained shoulder). ... Oakland Raiders fullback Marcel Reece will replace Baltimore's Vonta Leach on the AFC's Pro Bowl roster after the Ravens earned a trip to the Super Bowl. ... Former Browns coach Pat Shurmur is joining Chip Kelly's staff with the Philadelphia Eagles, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press. NFL