Guys are dropping like flies in camp, and we haven’t even reached the one-week milestone. 3rd string LB Jimmie Gilbert is out for the year with a torn ACL, Jaquiski Tartt is day-to-day with a rib injury, DeForest Buckner is day-to-day with an ankle injury, but apparently it is not as bad as initially thought, TE George Kittle is being held out of practice for individual drills, and Keith Reaser will miss practice entirely for a 2nd day. Eli Harold is being held out of practice for a concussion suffered a few days ago.
Good news is that Eric Reid is back to full practice status after tweaking his ankle. Other than that, the latest casualty if the new regime is Bruce Ellington, the speedster who never got untracked.
Camp sleeper, according to Adam Schefter is matt Breida, UDFA RB out of Georgia Southern, who ran a blistering 4.38 in the 40 is making headway to make the team. He also had the highest vertical leap, 42 inches, and pumped out 23 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press. He also seems to be meshing very well with what Kyle Shanahan and RB coach Bobby Turner are looking for in a fast powerful guy who can catch the occasional pass.
That’s about all the news that’s out there Niner-wise. Ryan Tannehill is out for a while, so the Colin Kaepernick death march to the NFL continues.
Forty Niners Forever 
Not sure how quick this offense turns it around, but I’m worried about the O line more than anything. Of all the moves we’ve made this offseason, we didn’t do much for them. And Hoyer?
Uhhh, yeah. We’ll see.
chuck- it’s smart to be a little pessimistic about our offense, so am I. Just listening to what others have said about Hoyer I honestly think he could be a great stop-gap until we get our guy. He moves around in the pocket pretty well, he can read defenses also well from what I have read. and he has a competent arm. The Oline is my concern also but I think it’s gonna be ok barring injuries. I think the term guarded optimism is where I am at right now.
Yeah every season is the same……..one starts with optimism and then as time passes reality takes over. Can this O line do the job? Are there enough weapons to support this QB? Are the WRs up to standards? Without depth injuries will cripple this roster? Just comparing last seasons pre-season to this seasons is a cause for hope.
Hoyer’s biggest advantage over Kap: he’s a pocket passer, something Kap never got comfortable with. That and his familiarity with the offense are what drew him to Shanahan. Shanny wants pocket passers.
One of the things that really killed me last year was Chip Kelley running the Counter Trey out of a spread formation. It worked the first week but not after that. Other teams just sent the weak side contain to tackle the RB from behind, often in the backfield. College offenses get tested mightily in the NFL. With better talent all around Kelley’s college offense did not pass muster.
Harbaugh and Kelley ran college offenses. Kaepernick is probably the perfect QB for that. In pro offenses there are hot reads, sight adjustments and timing plays. Kap did none of those well, if at all. He went back to pass and looked deep. If that wasn’t there he would maybe look for a secondary receiver but that was it at best. At that point too much time was taken because of the time always looking deep first. Either scramble or get sacked.
Kap is like Tebow, a distraction. If you are a great QB who can make a team win you get signed. If you are a possible starter but really a back up at best who comes with a distraction, good luck getting signed.
Yeah Kap’s shortcomings as a player is not mentioned by the NFL critics. Even the local sports media types seldom mention his playing shortcomings as a QB. Greg Papa mentioned it on the “Happy Hour” on NBC while the woman host was spouting what an injustice it is not having signed Kap to a back-up role. Kap is not the player he once was that’s for sure.
Camp injuries to starters piling up. Big signing Malcolm Smith with a chest injury likely out for a protracted period and penciled in LG Garnett needs a knee procedure to “clean some things up”.
Smith was a sure starter, tough loss.
Smith done for year.
Torn pectoral, sweet.
This guys are getting killed in camp, especially defensively. It’s not much good having a punishing camp when the resulting injuries mean a diminished squad. They haven’t been able to go 3 days without someone going down.
These guys…
almost all of these guys come into camp in fabulous shape. It’s stupid to have pre season last this long. I know a shorter PS wouldn’t have saved all these guys but I’d rather they get hurt during something real than something that doesn’t mean anything.
They’ve already cut way back on hitting in preseason and 2-a-day practices per the NFLPA deal from the strike in 2011. I don’t think it’s the camps, it’s the game itself.
Flav, the problem with shortening the preseason is that the owners want to add games to the regular season if they do. An 18 game season would be a disaster.
I think it’s all the weight room shit they do. They hit it so hard that their muscles are taxed to the limit. They move the wrong way and shit happens. I knew some guys that weight lifting was their religon, they spent all their free time working out. I used to laugh at em because a few of em couldn’t even walk right. I feel there has to be some give and take with all that. I don’t believe that the old timers spent near as much time fucking around with the weights.
It’s rough out there……especially in 49ers camp.
Weight training has been the standard for a long time now. The training is balanced by these professional strength coaches, players have access to top flight professional massage and recovery activities. They have to lift just to stay competitive. As long as it’s combined with flexibility training it’s a benefit.
I was watching some old 49ers championship tapes last year and looked up some of those rosters on NFL-Reference. It’s mind-boggling how much smaller linemen on both sides of the ball were then and that was only the 80’s and 90’s. Much has changed. Now you have massive, fast men slamming into each other. Injuries will happen.
Lurker- I agree about the benefits of weight lifting. I am pretty sure the players don’t get much one on one training there is just not that many trainers to go around. Stretching and ice baths help. I know the players who spend a lot of time in the weight room are always competing with themselves it’s just the nature of weight lifting. I think most torn pect muscles like Smiths are caused by bench pressing to much.
Is this anything like the jinx associated with the cover of Madden?
http://tinyurl.com/yanytsaq
The most entertaining part of that link is the jackass commenters that can’t let go of the bash-Jed-York-no-matter-what mantra. Yeah, it’s been rough, everyone here knows that, but some really good moves have been made. Even if a guy has sucked, you have to give credit where credit is due. He’s put some good pieces in place, now it’s time to get behind them and see where it goes.
I’m probably off on the camp thing. Shanahan has said a couple of times that while hard hitting is encouraged, no wrapping and taking to the ground, or rolling guys. I just get frustrated because the Niners don’t have a ton of depth. Losing Smith sucks big time. He was going to be one of the main guys on D. I’ve been holding my breath hoping the team can get to the regular season without any more significant injuries.
Fish sign Cutler. Kap fucked again.
You really have to not want someone if you sign Cutler instead.
I can see Gase wanting a familiar option.
Much the same as Shanny with Hoyer.
Less ‘Coaching’ involved, with the short notice situation they found themselves in after Tannehill went down.
Yeah, I just saw on SC about Cutler’s history with Gase. Makes more sense.
After a 2-14 Season Lurker John I can’t see it going anywhere but up.
Sure, losing MSmith sucks but, that’s the nature of the business.
Probably puts Bow in a better position as well.
As for Kaep? I think it’s pretty damn obvious that he’s nothing but a system fit or, a last ditch option, for a team in desperate straits?
He did himself no favors by bringing his soapbox to the job.
Absolutely, NJ. I’m excited about this upcoming season. Should be fun.
Holy Moly –
http://tinyurl.com/yc992dku
Kaep is probably holding a loaded revolver, with one in the chamber, spinning it wildly and, wondering what he has to do to get a job right about now I’d think?
Kap is firmly entrenched in the new civil rights movement and probably has more followers than he’s ever had. It seems obvious that football is second fiddle at this point.
Running QBs are not popular anymore. If Kap stays in the pocket he’s not worth much with his inaccurate arm.
I figured Miami would winp out and they did. Cutler is a piece of dried shit. Didn’t Gase get enough of Cutler in Chi town? apparently not.
Too funny. Don’t see how Kappy could do worse than Cutler but they are toast.
“Hey Jay, want to make 10 mill for sucking balls?”
“Sure!”
yeah, if the choice was Cutler or Kap to START I would have picked Kap 10/10 times just because his ceiling is possibly so much higher. I haven’t followed it too closely but did Kap try out for the Dolphins? Is Kap even actively seeking employment? Serious question. I’ve been out of town/out of loop on NFL news till recently.
Don’t really know but all I read about his activities are in the vain of charities and civil rights. I don’t even know if he’s working out to stay in shape and I truly don’t give a shit either way. Although I think Miami would have been an interesting place for him to land.
Kap tried out for the Squawks not Fins. He hasn’t made any public effort to show he is committed to football but has shown plenty of commitment to his causes. Cutler was the smarter choice because he worked with Ease before and time is very short before the start of the season. Not a big fan of Cutler but he played well for Game before, makes sense.
Gase.
Still and all, Cutler? 4-12 in their future.
The Baalke hiring is a direct result of the Peter Principle n action.
Kappy himself isn’t talking about football or making any kind of statement at all so it’s hard to even know if he’s trying to get a job in the NFL. At this point he’d be drawing more fans than he’d turn away.
You know the NFL loves the chatter as they disavow everything.
New thread is up.