Are you ready for some football? Great. Unfortunately, that is not the question. Is football ready? And unless they are running a massive misinformation campaign, the answer is “not even close.” Even now, with training camp set to open on July 28, things are in flux. In fact, the NFL may still flux this up. It has now been nearly a month since Baltimore coach John Harbaugh called the league…
Yep. It is time to talk about Jimmie Garoppolo again.
Jimmie Garopollo always seems to be under pressure, on the field and off. (AP photo/Tony Avelar Whoops. Just got a calendar alert. As you know, we are contractually obligated to write about Jimmie Garoppolo at regular intervals, and this was a reminder that it is time for another check in. Luckily, a great deal of pick and shovel work has already been done. Last week, writing in The…
The return of an NFL golden oldie: kneeling for the national anthem
In December 2017, 49ers players were taking a knee in protest, with or without Colin Kaepernick. (AP photo/Mark J. Terrill We don’t even know if there is going to be an NFL season this year. And after watching the futile flailing by Major League Baseball and the confusion over the NBA Florida bio-dome, it doesn’t look encouraging. Or maybe you have checked the numbers among college football programs which…
Richard Sherman said sports is a racial equalizer; Steph Curry might not agree
Steph and Alysha Curry have each encountered racial pushback — but not from whom you would expect. (AP photo — Marcio Jose Sanchez) Recently 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman talked about sports how, in these troubled times of racial unrest, they can be an example for the rest of the country. That the locker room is a place where racial divisions are, at the very least, much less prominent. “You kind…
Will the NFL restart the season? Football pushes forward, regardless of risk
This could be a familiar sight for the football season — empty seats and virtual fans. (photo John Burgess, Press Democrat) This has never happened in professional sports. In the midst of a deadly pandemic, the Big Three — Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NFL — are attempting to restart their seasons simultaneously. To say it has been a clownshow would be an insult to clowns. First because…
If the NFL can stock a roster with one training camp, why does baseball need five levels of minor leagues?
Milwaukee Brewers minor league player Andre Nnebe throws as Canadian geese take the infield during an informal workout. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) We know how NFL teams fill their rosters. Every year at training camp they bring in 100 potential players. They practice with them, evaluate them and by the time the season begins they have chosen the best 53 to start the season. It seems to work just fine. And…
Kyle Shanahan’s remarkable press conference. And what it means going forward
Kyle Shanahan doesn’t do in-person press conferences now. But in a virtual session with reporters last week he made strong statements about racial unrest in the United States. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe) I don’t think we have talked enough about Kyle Shanahan’s press conference. You probably heard about it. Appearing on-screen in a virtual presser with beat reporters last week, Shanahan stepped right into questions about the #Blacklivesmatter protests. And he…
Politically, signing Kaepernick makes sense; football-wise, not so much
We make an effort to keep politics out of this blog. But in this case we don’t have much of a choice, do we? We are going to have to discuss Colin Kaepernick. Again. This week set it in stone: Kaepernick is officially a signpost in history. When historians write important books about these terrible times of flames, violence and anger, there will be at least a chapter on…
Replacing Staley, Sanders and Buckner might be tough. And not for the reason you think
Here’s a thing. Or actually, two things, only one of which is true. One, this might be the kind of observation that not many are making about the 49ers. And it might be something we look back on later and say, “You know, I had a feeling this was going to be a problem.” Or, it might be nothing. And we’d wonder why we spent any time on it at…
Jimmy G is perfectly fine at QB, and other 49ers thoughts
We begin with the bad news. The two witty and knowledgeable writers who have been writing these posts — Grant Cohn and Phil Barber — are not available. So I am going to step in on the 49ers opinion beat. Granted, Cohn and Barber had an advantage. They knew what they were talking about. I have experience — 36 years at the Chronicle, 20 in sports — but that may…
Shanahan and Lynch, unplugged
Here are portions of the official John Lynch / Kyle Shanahan transcript for this afternoon’s Zoom. Because the draft didn’t end after the third round.
First Buckner, now Staley. It’s the end of an era.
The 49ers will move on without Joe Staley and DeForest Buckner, but will be diminished by their absence.
Is this the end for Joe Staley?
Acquiring Trent Williams for a fifth-round pick in 2020 and a third-rounder in 2021 is a bold move for the 49ers. But it almost certainly signals the end of the road for dependable left tackle Joe Staley.
How the 49ers can sneak into Day 2
Can the 49ers find a way to get into the second or third round? Here are some options.
49ers’ draft philosophy is ‘gluttony’
Most NFL teams try to build around the edges of their roster, plugging holes to shore up the overall structure. The 49ers seem to be taking a much different approach.
Brandon Aiyuk: Just put the ball in his hands
What Brandon Aiyuk has is an innate ability to break tackles and run with the football. And Kyle Shanahan does love him some yards after the catch.
Javon Kinlaw: boom or bust
Yes, a wide receiver or an offensive tackle might have made more sense at pick No. 14 (after the 49ers had traded down one spot). But selecting a physically dominant, versatile defensive tackle carries its own logic.
My Socially Distanced 2020 Mock Draft
The show is going on. Here is my 2020 Remote Quarantined Socially Distanced NFL Mock Draft.
Meet the last NFL team to make no picks in Rounds 2-4
If the 49ers stand pat over the next few days, they will become the first NFL team in 13 years not to make a selection between the first and third rounds.
No. 13 overall: Trade it or keep it?
Without knowing the actual trade offers, we can speak only in generalities. And the most general is this: Bad teams are advised to trade down. Good teams should be trading up.
