Grant previews the 49ers’ season on The Fantasy Fullback Dive

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, center, watches as players warm up with general manager John Lynch, right, and Stanford head football coach David Shaw during the 49ers organized team activity at its NFL football training facility in Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, June 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The Roto Street Journal just released an interview I did earlier this week with The Fantasy Fullback Dive. For almost 45 minutes, I spoke with The Wolf and Truth about Kyle Shanahan, Carlos Hyde, Joe Williams, Tim Hightower, Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin, Jeremy Kerley, Jeremy Maclin, Kyle Juszczyk, Brian Hoyer and more. You can listen to the show below.

This article has 35 Comments

  1. Niners may not win 2 against the Rams, because McVay is so much better than Fisher, and he will get those high draft pick players to actually play better. I also disagree with his take on the Seahawks. They will be a playoff team, and the Cards had a good draft. Haason Reddick and Budda Baker were solid picks.
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    Niners will avoid a losing season only if they improve the QB position.

    1. Hey Seb, the Niners did improve the QB position. They have Matt Barkley who we both assume will be the starter. That gives us Hoyer as a strong back up. Barkley wasn’t terrible in Chicago taking over with zero weapons. I think he’ll do fine here, but I don’t think SF wins 6 games this season.

      1. Sorry, but assuming that Barkley, Hoyer and CJB will excel, is like whistling while walking past the graveyard at midnight.
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        I want the Niners to win more than 6 games, so that is why I want them to improve the QB position.

      2. Barkley will not be the starter. No idea why you would think that, he’s clearly the #2, is on the depth chart now, and will be com September 9th or whenever.

    2. Mcvay is so much better than Fisher??? Based on what? Nothing about him says great defensive mind. Which is what all those high draft picks were. But if this is based on your opinion, then I see where ur coming from.

      1. Steele, Fisher had good seasons with the Titans, but he never won more than 7 games while at the Rams.
        In the end, he had good players, but always underachieved.
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        McVay is a great offensive mind, and he is fortunate to have Wade Phillips, as his DC. WP helped the Broncos win their last SB, so he will be a formidable coach.
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        The Rams, with new WRs, and Goff with a year under his belt, will be improved. They still have one of the best defensive fronts in the league.

        1. That front 4 played well under Fisher, it was the offense that was lacking. Fisher got stuck with Goff. Bringing in a new HC doesn’t guarantee success. See Kap, circa 2016

          1. Yes, now with Mcvay, the offense will improve.
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            Bringing in a new HC may make all the difference. Sure, Tomsula and Chip were not good coaches, but McVay did very well as OC in Washington.
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            Kaep did not do well because Baalke dismantled the team and sat on his hands instead of trying to improve. Even so, he did well with no support, but when the defense is giving up 200 yards rushing, every QB would find it hard to win games.

    3. McVay has coached how many NFL games in comparison to Fisher? You are full of bold and baseless predictions.

      1. Exactly. He argues Kap being better because of experience, but dismisses it when he’s trying to make a point in his favor. Can’t have your cake and eat it to

        1. Yes, Kaep is more accomplished. He has a 4-2 road playoff record, and is a SB QB who has set playoff records.
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          Hoyer was HORRENDOUS in his only playoff game.
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          Barkley has never even sniffed the playoffs.
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          CJB is a green untested rookie, who was inaccurate in his last practice.

          1. The team was 4-2 in the po, with Kap accidentally at qb. Stop this mantra please. That was one of the most disruptive defenses of the last decade, with a decent offense, with Davis at his prime. Why are we always talking of the past, while it is clear we have a new regime in place and potentially a beight future in front of us?! Move on. All of us.

          2. Seb………..

            You had way to many acid trips at Berzerkly………..

            Kaps road play-off record…..blah, blah, blah…..is better than Montana’s-therefore, he’s a better QB than Montana.

            Crazy as a loon–a very funny one, but a loon, nevertheless.

      2. McVay is young and untested, but Fisher amply demonstrated his limitations.
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        Fisher would guarantee more losing, while Mcvay is a wild card and may surprise people.
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        Wade Phillips is another factor that should not be dismissed.

    4. Seb, Shanahan said, “I think Colin has a certain skill-set that you can put a specific offense to it that he can be very successful in. When we first looked at it, you’ve got to look at each quarterback and what type of offense you want to put in. That wasn’t necessarily the direction I wanted to go . . .The type of offense I want to run was somewhat different and that’s why we went that type of direction.” I think that’s Shanahan being polite, but even if I’m wrong, it’s clear he needs a different kind of QB for his offense. (I can’t believe I’m writing this, it’s been said to you a thousand times.) Kaepernick is not coming back. Either you think Shanahan was joking or you just want to perpetuate this exchange for a reason I don’t understand. What gives, man?

      1. George, I just want the Niners to win more rings, and do not think the present QBs have much chance of doing that.
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        It is my humble opinion that Kaep does give the Niners the best chance to win.
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        KS is just posturing, kinda negotiating in the press. I am confident that he can take any QB, and make him better. Kaep is bigger, stronger, faster, more elusive, can shrug off arm tackles and can throw well on the run. I will concede that he needs to be more accurate, but most other QBs also need to do that.
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        I think if Kaep signs with the Niners, KS will be rubbing his hands together with glee, just thinking of all the ways he could utilize Kaep. Believe it or not, Kaep, with his dual threat, puts stress on the defense. KS will take Kaep, and fit him into his offensive scheme easily. Remember, Matt Ryan mentioned in an interview before the SB, that the way KS was utilizing him, was a big factor in his success. KS let Ryan move around more so he could use his mobility to buy time, and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.
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        So far, the present QBs are not impressing me, so I feel perfectly comfortable saying that Kaep would be an upgrade, and posters who do not want Kaep are just letting emotions cloud their judgement.
        KS is being diplomatic, I am being realistic. IMHO, Kaep is better than Hoyer, especially after Hoyer’s meltdown in the playoffs when he threw the ball like the DBs were the intended receivers. 4 picks and a fumble. It was not his shining moment.

        1. But Kap doesnt even see the open receivers. You know this. There’s another reason for your idolatry of Kap. Same one as the Jim Jones followers………..

          1. Saw, WHAT open receivers? The WR corps was one of the worst in the league. By the end of the season, they were starting 3rd string cut players.
            .
            I remember the first half of the Jets game, he was almost perfect, except one pass that hit his receiver in both his hands and was dropped. Too bad in the second half, the coaches made absolutely no adjustments, and that was when he struggled.
            .
            With better support and better coaching, He will do just fine.

  2. It all looks good for pr purposes, but I see all these teams w/o qbs semi-tanking because they know the draft and free agent QB market is really strong next year. No way do I see us winning 9 games as Grant predicted. I think this management group is looking at 4-5 wins which will double their total from last year and keep their draft position high enough to get a franchise QB.

    1. Bandit I think everyone will come down to earth when the season starts. The offense will only generate so much. For me, 4-5 wins is the realistic outcome.

    2. I think that anyone who believes Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch don’t want to win as many games as possible this season don’t understand the pride and competitive nature that drives these men. I can guarantee that these guys aren’t heading into this season concerned with their draft position next April. These guys are trying to create a winning culture as they develop their young roster. And you can’t do that by looking past the next 16 games. Maybe we get to week 15 or 16 and winning takes a back seat to playing some of their reserves in order to fully evaluate them heading into the offseason. But that’s about the only time you will see Kyle take his foot off the gas pedal!

      1. Though if we had to listen to blogger comments there would be a bunch one could easily skip!!

  3. Um, Uh, Um, Um… Uh, Uh, Uh.. Ummmm… These sounds are verbal mouth farts, pure and simple. You don’t fart in front of others do you? Then don’t mouth fart when you are on air. Bad, bad form.

    For someone hypercritical of the coaches and athletes you cover, you need to do some self criticism. Do you have a speech impediment because you speak over your own words cutting yourself off with another word before you finish the previous one? You can get help from a speech therapist. Your comments were 99 percent opinion, very, very few comments based on facts.

    Local on-air guest gigs will pay you maybe…maybe… five hundred bucks tops, Seven years as a P-D blogger? They must pay huge there because the guys before you got out are in a much shorter time. Or maybe your concept of being a professional sports guy is more fantasy than focus. Grant, ya gotta do a whole lot better if you are serious. Otherwise, it’s clean up on aisle four. D+

  4. The No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, Thomas is trying to compensate for his absence by training on his own and keeping in regular contact with 49ers defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina and the strength and conditioning staff. Thomas said he expects to play end in base downs and slide inside to three-technique for pass-rush situations, although the 49ers also told him to learn the “LEO” position as a weak-side edge rusher “just in case because anything is possible.”

    http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/solomon-thomas-49ers-return-status-position-stanford-nfl-rule-demarcus-ware/1lgllg4cc9kgi1gc204u8on0xc

  5. Btw Grant nice job on the podcast. You gave some good information. Not sure I agree with all of it but you are certainly very strong and well informed in your opinions.

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