During practice on Tuesday, rookie quarterback Trey Lance had two plays that showed why the 49ers invested so much to grab him with the third selection in the NFL draft. Taking his second set of reps during team drills, Lance lined up in the shotgun formation. After receiving the snap, the quarterback turned to his right and appeared to give the ball to running back Trey Sermon, but as the…
Observations from day 6 of 49ers training camp
The 49ers held their first practice in full pads on Wednesday. Here is what stood out during the 49ers sixth practice of training camp. Jimmy Garoppolo: Overall, it was the typical Jimmy Garoppolo type of practice. Garoppolo would complete 11 of his 18 pass attempts with some featuring some really nice plays along with a few duds. Two of Garoppolo’s more impressive reps came on throws to free agent wide…
Takeaways from the first week of 49ers training camp
The 49ers reported to Santa Clara last week for training camp and held four practices before taking Sunday off. With practices set to resume on Monday, here are some of the key takeaways from the first week of camp. 1. QB Competition: When Kyle Shanahan was asked about how reps would be split between incumbent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Trey Lance during his press conference on the first day…
Observations from Day 3 of 49ers training camp
Here is what stood out during the 49ers’ third practice of training camp. As will be the case for the first five sessions, the team was in only helmets. The first padded practice is scheduled for Tuesday. Quarterback playJimmy Garoppolo finished the day 6-11. Three of Garoppolo’s completions came on checkdowns with another off an RPO. His best pass of the day was a strike to George Kittle on the…
Does a Xavien Howard trade make sense for the 49ers?
On Tuesday, cornerback Xavien Howard requested a trade from the Miami Dolphins. There are a number of teams across the NFL that are in need of building depth at the position. Among those teams are the 49ers, but does a big move like this make sense for them? At first glance, the cornerback position appears to be well stocked for the 49ers. They have two corners with starting experience lined…
49ers 2021 53-man roster prediction
The 49ers will take to the field for the first practice of the 2021 season today. There are a number of interesting battles throughout the roster, especially at quarterback, wide receiver, running back and in the secondary. In addition, the news from yesterday that Dee Ford and Jalen Hurd will not be placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). The versatility that both players bring to the team…
49ers finalize rookie contract with Trey Lance
When the San Francisco 49ers hit the practice field later today they will be doing so with their entire draft class present including third overall draft pick, Trey Lance. According to his representatives, CAA, Lance put pen to paper this morning on a $34.1 million fully guaranteed contract which includes a signing bonus of $22.2 million. San Francisco will also have the option to pick up a fifth-year option shortly…
Will big upfront investment pay off for 49ers in 2021?
Any discussion of the 49ers’ offense usually revolves around the skill position players. That’s understandable when you consider the glory days of the franchise featured back-to-back Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Joe Montana and Steve Young, along with wide receivers like Dwight Clark, Freddy Solomon, Jerry Rice, John Taylor and Terrell Owens, not to mention explosive running backs like Roger Craig and Ricky Watters. Fast forward to the current team…
49ers’ top five position battles
The 2021 NFL season is fast approaching. While the San Francisco 49ers will report to training camp on Tuesday, things won’t heat up until later in the week. That is when the players will finally hit the practice field to begin preparations for the upcoming season. With a full slate of rookies and free agents set to fight for spots on the final 53-man roster, here are the top five…
The 49ers push in all the chips. They’d better be right
The 49ers better be right about this. Friday’s draft deal-making was a real roll the dice moment for the franchise. One way or another we’re going to be talking about this push-in-all-the-chips moment for years to come. As you know, the Niners have arranged a deal in which they traded three – count them three – first round draft choices (and a third rounder) for the third choice in this…
The season ends. Whew. But what did we learn?
It is never a good sign to hear members of a team say they are “excited” to have a season end, as the 49ers did this week. You can be excited about going to the playoffs. Or excited to start the season. But if you are thrilled that it is over, it must have been a real downer. And it was. If the 2019 season was a rocket ride to…
The 49ers surprise Arizona . . . and us. Also, is the “Kittle effect” real?
I guess everyone saw the 49ers’ 20-12 win over the Cardinals coming, right? At kickoff, we had the floundering, 5-9 Niners, losers of the last three in a row, and defeated in six of the previous seven. They were on a month-long camping trip to Arizona. They had so many injuries the team bus is an ambulance. They were dis-invited to the playoffs last week. They were basically playing for…
As hard as he tries, you’d think Nick Mullens would get a break. That’s not how this works
By now it almost seems cruel to keep running Nick Mullens out there as the 49ers quarterback. Everyone can sense the poor guy is giving it everything he’s got. He’s energetic and enthusiastic. He is cooperative and honest in interviews. And he just can’t do it. Asked to assess Mullens’ performance in Sunday’s 23-15 loss to Washington, former 49er QB Jeff Garcia said he was “very sporadic, late on throws,…
49ers can’t lose again – it’s just math
Win or go home. It’s that simple after the 49ers 34-24 loss to Buffalo. Don’t buy it? Check with the coach. “We’ve got four more games . . . and we’ve got to win all of them,” said Kyle Shanahan. You know the calculation. The Niners were 5-6 coming into Monday night’s nationally televised game. Ten wins is a perfectly acceptable total for an invitation to the playoffs. To get…
At a moment when it would have been easy to quit . . . the 49ers make a stand
You’d have to say the 49ers’ season has been a disappointment. Super Bowl participants are supposed to roar out of the gate the next year, establish themselves as one of the favorites and then expect to do some damage in the playoffs. Instead, the Niners lost the opener to Arizona and have been on a frustrating quest to get to .500 for most of the year. It has begun to…
49ers in the playoffs? Seriously?
It keeps popping up. You’re watching the 49ers’ game on TV, and at some point the playoff possibilities are flashed on the screen. It lists the sure-fire contenders and a short list of teams “on the bubble” to make the playoffs. And listed, week after week, are the hard-luck, much injured, losers-of-three-in-a-row 49ers. Do they really have a chance to make the playoffs? Yes. And probably no. It is true…
On the 49ers bye week to-do list: rest, heal up and for God’s sake fix the offensive line
While it is always fun (and easy) to pile on the quarterback after a loss, I’m sure they are plenty of people doing that. So I’d like to go in a different direction. Following the sound thumping the Saints put on the 49ers Sunday, the team gets some R & R. With the bye week, they will have time to heal up, take a break, and re-commit to the season….
Jed York buys a victory for the 49ers
It turns out the 49ers did get a win last week after all. Only it wasn’t on the field. In a way, you could say it was about the field — the one at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Earlier we told you about the efforts by 49ers owner Jed York to vote in team-friendly candidates to the Santa Clara city council. And when we say “efforts,” what we really…
The 49ers never had a chance vs. Green Bay — for lots of reasons
One of the charming qualities of sports is magical thinking. It is the idea that a team with pluck, grit and gumption can overcome a more talented team on sheer will and want-to. You take your best shot and the next thing you know the USA hockey team is beating Russia in the Miracle on Ice in the 1980 Olympic Games. Unfortunately, there’s a reason we call those miracles. They…
Reality bites the 49ers. It looks like this is who they are
In a way maybe the loss to Seattle was for the best. You know what would have happened if the 49ers had pulled off the upset and beaten the Seahawks. Irrational exuberance. We saw it after the back to back wins over the Rams and the Patriots. Don’t sleep on the Niners, people said. They’re pulling it together. The playoffs are not out of reach. Instead, they went to Seattle,…
