49ers-Chargers post game report

Posted By on August 29, 2019

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens, left, laughs with offensive tackle Joe Staley before an NFL preseason football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

SANTA CLARA — Check out my postgame report from the 49ers’ 27-24 loss to the Chargers.

This article has 63 Comments

  2. Is it just me or does Greenlaw remind anyone else of a healthy Rueben Foster?
    Hits hard, runs hard, plays hard, but needs practice on his assignments.
    Hopefully he can grasp them quickly so he can start. Lee is awful.

    On another note. Why is Shanahan playing with emotions and sending Mullen’s in after a decent first half from CJB?
    Not cool Kyle!

    1. Greenlaw on that sack of Jones, the way he ran in there so fast kind of reminded me of NaVorro Bowman a bit, just smaller. He flies everywhere and Bowman was like that. Not sure why Mullens was in there, maybe KS saw the pass rush was too much and didn’t want him hurt so he pulled him quickly?

    2. I like Greenlaw’s ability to wrap-up quickly. Still needs plenty reps, but has promise…

    3. He does always seem to be flying around the ball.
      I wasn’t high on the pick when they drafted him, but I’ll eat crow if he keeps impressing.
      My biggest concern is his size and weather or not he can take NFL punishment over a season.
      I hope he’s starting at SAM

    4. He might have been trying to create a justification for CJB as the backup. The line protecting Mullins was crap and so were the receivers he threw too. I suspect he was hoping for this so that in contrast Beathard would look better in comparison. He was setting up a lose-lose for Mullins. This is why he pulled him out after that ineffective first series so he did not have a chance to redeem himself.

      Either that or possibly he put him in to throw other teams off in respect to who he was picked as the backup. This way they would not know which one was considered most expendable in respect to trades.

    5. md I saw it as Kyle wanting Mullens to get a few more reps in before pre-season was over. I actually wish CJB got more of the reps that ended up going to Wilton Speights. That throwing motion gave me nightmares last night.

      1. Even so, some of those shotgun snaps almost went over his head! (apparently the guy in there was his first action at center?) If that were Mullens the ball would still be rolling the other way.

  4. If Hurricane Dorian crosses Florida and hits Tampa Bay it should be gone by the time the 49ers play. However, The storm could make a mess of the city and impact the 49ers travel arrangements. Sounds like Dorian would hit the east coast of Florida around Tuesday and then it should be completely across Tampa Bay by Friday. They say it’s a very slow moving storm so it could linger over the state for some time. Impossible to predict.

    https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2019/08/29/dorian-might-hit-tampa-bay-after-crossing-the-state-what-could-that-mean-for-us/

    1. I was going to post the something similar. It is expected to be a category 4 . Yikes. Warmer water increases the potency of hurricanes. Warmer air holds more water and makes storms more severe. There has been a sharp increase in both.

      I am not a scientist, but the good news is there are people who are scientists.

      1. Yeah, there’s never been a Cat 4 Hurricane before 2019. That hurricane in 1559 that leveled the Spanish settlement in Pensacola, destroyed the fleet of Don Tristan de Luna y Arellano, and kept the Spanish out of the US Gulf Coast for 134 years was just a minor little thunderstorm.

        2. Come on Houston. You know there has been both a sharp increase in canes/super storms and also an increase in global temps. Hasn’t your city (Houston) seen unprecedented storms and flooding in the last decade.

          1. Actually, Rollo that’s not true. Hurricane activity and intensity is not more or less than it’s been over the past couple hundred years. What is happening is there is more population and development in areas impacted by Hurricanes. The other thing that’s changed is there are a bunch of hucksters looking to get rich and increase their power by igniting climate change hysteria.

              1. Cmon Ribs, dont make me embarrass you. I’m a climate change believer. You don’t go from a global population of 1.6bn in 1900 to 6 bn in 2000 without humans impacting the Earth’s climate. All models predict an increase in frequency and intensity of large storms but that hasn’t actually happened yet.

              2. I still remember Jimmy Carter telling us to turn down our thermostats, and put on a sweater. He also said the world would run out of oil in 2011. Today’s Jimmy Carter a.k.a. O’Crazio Cortez says the world will end in 12 years….

              3. Don’t forget the ice age ended 14,000 years ago, planet has been warming ever since, has man impacted climate, yup sure has.

                Its actually over 7 1/2 billion people right now projected to go over 8 billion in 2023….now really what is the real reason for the problems on mother earth.

  5. Well, I suppose the Niners have made their determinations already, and there were not many assessments changed last night.
    .
    Some players were inconsistent. Bourne had a drop, then caught a TD pass. Nzeocha shined, then whiffed on a tackle. Greenlaw looked good, but missed a couple assignments. CJB did well, but was not flawless. Garnett blocked well in the beginning, but seemed to run out of steam. You would think that he may have dislocated his finger, but should have been working on his stamina. I wonder if Kaden Smith did enough to assure himself a roster spot.
    .
    I must commend Najee Toran. He did not hike the ball well, but I think that was his first time doing it in the NFL.
    .
    Of all the players, I would say that Jeff Wilson definitely locked up a roster spot.
    .
    I am glad the 23-0 chant will have ended, since they were kinda delusional. Glad we got that over with, and can expect some wins, and losses.

    1. am glad the 23-0 chant will have ended, since they were kinda delusional.

      You do realize “23-0 “ is/was tongue in cheek, right?

      22-1 baby!!!

      1. The rainbow and unicorn crowd is devastated.
        .
        I just remember the Detroit season, when they went 4-0 in the preseason, and 0-16 in the regular season.
        .
        Now, we can have some realistic expectations.
        .
        However, 19-0 is still alive and well.

          1. Rib, being optimistic, and being delusional, are 2 totally different things.
            .
            This just showed that the Charger third string had more talent than the Niner third string.
            .
            Maybe KS wanted to win so much, he put in Mullens, but once Mullens got hammered, that strategy almost failed spectacularly.
            .
            I was content, the Niners made a comeback, and gained the lead with 5 minutes left. The Chargers just showed why they are a playoff team. They have solid depth throughout the roster.
            .
            Winning is nice, but losing is part of the game. How they deal with adversity, will be a huge factor in determining if they have built a winning culture.

            1. Rib, being optimistic, and being delusional, are 2 totally different things.

              No one is delusional. That’s just a label people throw around here as insults.

              This just showed that the Charger third string had more talent than the Niner third string

              Doesn’t matter. If you have to get to your down to using many of your third string players you aren’t winning anything anyway. The last two seasons made that abundantly clear.

              1. Delusional is coming from a 4-12 season, and expect to go undefeated and win the SB.
                .
                Being optimistic, is hoping the double their win total from last season, and manage not to having their first losing season since 2015.

              3. Delusional is coming from a 4-12 season, and expect to go undefeated and win the SB.

                Again Seb. No one is expecting the team to go undefeated and win the SB. Are you really this obtuse or is this just an act you are putting on for the benefit of those on the interwebs?

              4. Tittering amongst yourselves that the Niners are destined to go 23-0, is the definition of delusional. Glad that is dead and buried.
                .
                There are people who browse the web, and they see you wheezily whistling, while walking past the cemetery, at midnight. That shtick was old after a week.
                .
                You want to make it fun, but if I make fun of it, then it becomes deadly serious.
                .
                Lighten up, Francis. There is nothing worse than some one unfunny trying to explain a joke.
                .
                Obtuse? I wonder who has used that word before on here?

            1. I hope to not see another 23-0 post all season.

              You might from some of the more math challenged posters.

              22-1 BABY!

              And Seb, it’s done with humor. Humor. Are you that guy who walks out of the comedy club muttering, “I don’t get it”?

              1. Saw would disagree with you. He finds me hilarious.
                .
                Your attempt to be funny just conjures up this response. Stick to your day job.

              2. Saw would disagree with you. He finds me hilarious.

                You know he’s pulling your leg, right? And your narcissism somehow construes it as a complement.

    2. Moore played well, but I wonder if it was enough to make the crowded D line squad.
      .
      CJB did well enough to garner a 5th or 6th round pick from another team. KS should have showcased him more, and kept Mullens out of the action. It almost backfired spectacularly, when Mullens went down under a heap of bodies. Thank goodness he was not injured.
      .
      It was a bummer to hear that Hurd is going to need surgery, but that may give Bourne a spot on the team.

      2. Mullens is the one the niners would like to trade. Not an NFL arm. If JG goes down or is ineffective, they want CJ to take over. If the O line is any good, he’ll have time to look downfield for one of the speedy receivers. After two seconds on a fly pattern, they’re out of Mullens’ range.

      3. The Niners have no interest in showcasing Brethard–he’s the no. 1 backup, just like he was last year. They wanted to showcase the lame-armed Mullens, but he wasn’t able to do diddly squat. Maybe their trading partner telephoned and said based on what they’d just seen, they were no longer interested, so they pulled him out. Note that Brethard succeeded and Mullens failed. Coaches notice these things, even if fans don’t.

        1. I disagree. Mullens is accurate and has the best command of the playbook. He beat the Seahawks, a playoff team and came close to beating the Bears. CJB has amply demonstrated his lack of accuracy, and did not shine in TC or the preseason. CJB has a 1-9 record, and held onto the ball too much.
          .
          You are basing the whole assessment process on this last game? They both were going against second and third string players, and were leading second and third string players. Mullens only had 3 passes because KS did not want him to become injured.
          .
          Coaches know the last preseason game is the least meaningful game of the preseason. They are testing out the bubble players, and are determining the final cuts. If you want to assign importance to the assessment process, the third game is very important, because the first string played. Mullens took over for JG, and CJB did not play. This fan noticed that.
          .
          KS is too smart to trade away the second best QB, because JG is sill recovering from an ACL injury. Mullens is one play from starting.
          .
          Grant thinks CJB is only worth a conditional 7th. Mullens may be worth a second or third round pick, but as the back up QB, he is invaluable.

          1. If Mullens is only 1 play from starting, the Niners can kiss their season goodbye. Mullens is not a quality quarterback. He’s always looking to make a short throw, before his head gets stomped on by the onrushing defense, which blew past our o-line like they weren’t there. He knows better than to try longer passes because there’s no time to allow receivers to come open. Also, his throws have nothing on them and are easy pickings for dbs. The Seahawks weren’t playing their top players. I can’t remember the Bear game, but saying he almost beat the Bears isn’t saying much. CJ Breathard almost beat the Packers in Lambeau Field with Aaron Rodgers playing the whole game. In fact, he did beat them, until the Niner defense folded in the face of Rodgers’ two-minute drill.

            1. FYI, the Seahawks were fighting for a playoff berth, so they were playing their starters. Mullens broke their win streak against the Niners, so that win was huge.
              .
              Let me remind you about the Bears game. They were fighting for home advantage, so they were playing their starters. Mullens engineered a comeback, but failed with less than a minute by not running for the first down. He did not run out of bounds to stop the clock, and threw the ball which sailed out of bounds.
              .
              You obviously have not watched CJB play this preseason, or last season. ‘He’s always looking to make the short throw, before his head gets stomped on by the onrushing defense’. That sure sounded like CJB because he held onto the ball too long. Remember, CJB was called tough, because he took those hits. Too bad they led to a concussion, and an opportunity to let Mullens play, and bench CJB. I hope that refreshes your memory, because selective amnesia does not bolster your argument.
              .
              ‘His throws have nothing on them, and are easy pickings for the DBs’. Yup, that sure sounds like CJB. He also tended to be inaccurate, missing wide open receivers.
              .
              Mullens has a knack to find the open receiver, and deliver the ball on time, with touch. Believe it or not. Mullens out competed CJB in the practices, and Mullens did well in the third preseason game, while CJB was relegated to starting the 4th preseason game.
              .
              CJB is a favorite of KS, so he very easily could be named the backup, but according to all the film, and Grant;s assessment, Mullens has shown that he is clearly the superior QB to CJB.

  6. I like Bourne’s attitude but his inconsistency will catch up to him this time around. Doesn’t matter to me that he makes the isolated great catch; NFL receivers are supposed to do that on occasion.

    No way Wilson goes to the PS.
    Nzeocha is still not starter material but his special teams play and his decent reads and aggressiveness should be enough. I love Greenlaw’s potential, but he still misses assignments and that to me is worse than a receiver dropping a sure catch.

    I didn’t see any positives from Garnett, — only a whiff at one pass protection assignment. But maybe I missed something. He could benefit from a supply-side issue that most teams are having. He still sucks though.

    And finally, this DL. SOLID depth. How do you cut any of them?!!!

    1. And finally, this DL. SOLID depth. How do you cut any of them?!!!

      Maybe they can play on the Oline

  7. Team looked amateur…but it was backups …..why and the flock did they bring in Mullins to get killed?? stupid Kyle….not much else to say= but even the backups on this team are weak……I have seen enough of CJ BeatHard in fact why oh why is he on this team?…..Kyle please no more drafting projects or injured players…..JimmyG throws INT’s on purpose oh sure … this really makes me warm all over LOL…thanks for the periscope Grant always appreciate your take on the team…

    1. They brought Mullens in to showcase him for a possible trade. With that weak arm of his, he is very expendable. He racked up yardage last year (3-5) because other teams didn’t have an answer for George Kittle. Mullens would throw ten yards on a crossing pattern, and Kittle would take it to the house, adding 40 or 50 yards at a crack to Mullens stats. There’s a good reason why Mullens went undrafted, and was playing on the taxi squad when JG went down. When he tries to throw long, the ball sails like a ruptured duck, way up in the air and short.

    1. The Defense gets a big kudos for their 2 interceptions. They matched the total from last season.

  9. Shoup agreed that the McKinnon signing was a bad one. Like him I was not on board regarding the signing. There have been others in my opinion, certainly Juice (not the signing itself, but the amount and expectations).

    To be honest, I always believed that the Garçon signing was a good one, though I’m not sure in retrospect if that was necessarily true.

    There are of course FA and trades that don’t work out. This is to be expected to some degree, but are the 49ers doing the best they can with resources and going after personnel that they can? Gould was definitely a home run, though some of the others are in incomplete, average or below in my opinion.

    I agree that history (recent one is negative for us), location, taxes, fit, showcase ability and championship feasibility are all factors that attract or deter FA and to some degree trades.

    Just wondering what people are thinking regarding Ford, Varrett, Alexander and Coleman going into the season. The Mathews signing, I liked.

    For me, I have reservations about all 4 but I think Alexander has surprised me. Wondering what other people are thinking especially as the core 53 is assembled.

    1. If you are running tight against the cap yes those signing would be considered bad. California teams ‘might’ have to spend more on FA’s due to the state stealing so much money from its citizens.

      1. So if you have lots of cap space you can make risky moves? Don’t understand that.

        Certainly, with tight cap space it makes you realize the limited resources one has but even with cap space there is lost opportunities like other players, both young and veteran who might get a spot on a team that needs to extract every ounce of talent from its roster.

        1. I don’t want to make excuses but look at it this way, when Lynch and Shanny got on board it was well into February, They have taken over a team that was a dumpster fire and spiraling downward out of control. The laughingstock of the entire NFL. Who in their right mind would want to come to a team whose direction is straight downward. On their fourth head coach in four years. You got to have something to attract decent FA’s, money is it for now. I don’t necessarily agree with over spending but I understand the whys.

          1. But if you overspend at first it is, as you noted, forgivable. We seem to continue to make questionable FA moves with both personnel and from a financial point of view. Not sure that is as easily dismissed.

            In the end all these moves by the FO are proven on the field. So, I guess we shall see.

            1. They had gobs of money. I am glad they spent some of it, instead of sitting on it, and being content to lose.

            2. I am not saying its forgivable. I just see it as very few choices at the time. I don’t like it any more then you but it is what it is.

              To lose JG last year was very unfortunate, not because of wins and losses but because we still do not really know if JG is the guy or not. I think he is but we don’t know for sure.

              This team should beat the Buc’s and Bengals regardless of the east coast thing. That’s the needed catalyst to get this team going. Get a couple of wins like that for a young team and…..

  10. The McKinnon signing looked good when it was first finalized. He fit KS’s system, and he filled a need.
    .
    They had to overpay, but a 2-14 team has to overpay because most decent FAs want to sign with a playoff team.
    .
    In fact, it was a good signing all through the 2018 training camp, up until the last play of TC. Then, once he went down, it became a bad signing. His last practice confirmed it. They will not pay him for sitting for 2 years. The Niners will most likely have him sign an injury settlement, and move on.

  11. My playoff predictions.
    .
    NFC
    West- Seahawks. Many think the Rams have not adequately replaced the players they lost in Free Agency, and no Gurley. Seahawks just need to improve their O line, and their defense seems rebuilt.
    North- Vikings. Bears need a kicker. Rodgers cant do it by himself.
    South- Carolina. Cam becomes healthy with good weapons, and a solid defense.
    East- Giants. Barkley is a difference maker. All the NY QB needs to do is hand off the ball.
    .
    Wild Card 1- Saints. Brees with one more try.
    Wild Card 2- San Francisco 49ers. Hope springs eternal. Dependent on JG staying healthy. If not, then the Bears.
    .
    AFC
    .
    West- Chargers. KC will implode with scandals. Flacco is not as good as Rivers. Raiders will get cold feet.
    North- Ravens. Jackson will shine, and their defense is solid.
    South Jax. They finally got a QB. Texans have no depth and injuries will doom them.
    East- Patriots, of course.
    .
    Wild Card 1- Chiefs. Mahomes is dang good.
    Wild Card 2- Steelers. They have a chip on their shoulder.
    .
    Teams tanking for Tua- Colts, Titans, Lions, Bengals, Dolphins, Skins, TB. Cards, once their O line allows a DT to crush Murray.

    1. Seahawks just traded a bag of rocks for Clowney. Looks like my Seahawk prediction is going to pan out.
      .
      I think the Rams will have a SB hangover, and miss the playoffs.

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