The 49ers are getting down to the end of the preseason tonight with a game against the LA Clippers, uh, Chargers, here in the friendly strip mall of Santa Clara. Overall, the team has looked pretty sharp on both sides of the ball (the turnover debacle in Denver notwithstanding). Special teams has been spotty at best, and there have been way too many penalties, but overall I have a pretty good feeling about how the team looks. They don’t look as retarded as they did last year, but again, preseason can be deceiving. Just ask Aluminum Mike Singletary and his stellar 4-0 preseason record in 2010. Teams aren’t game-planning for specific opponents, and many games (like the KC and Minn games) are determined by the 3rd string players.
Be that as it may, there has been a flurry of team activity recently. Ahmad Brooks was cut loose (and subsequently signed by the Packers), Vance McDropsy was traded to Pittsburgh with our 5th round pick next year, for a 4th round pick, and we traded our 2019 5th round pick to the Deetroit Lions for once-and future star first round pick in 2015 guard Laken Tomlinson. Sure, it’s a small price to pay for a 1st round pick, but he has been very underwhelming on a team that is desperate for line help. My thought was he didn’t fit their system, but we’ll see. He’ll be holding down the left guard spot as Joshua Garnett heals up.
I love the fact that we are giving George Kittle the opportunity to take over the TE position, as Vance can’t dance couldn’t consistently catch either. All of our previous TEs Bell, Celek, and Dray among others, left little impression as well, so the job looks to go to Kittle. The backups will be a fight with the other 5 on the roster. Hikutini, Bell, Celek, Nelson, and Paulson.
After the game, we’ll take a look at the 90 man roster and see who stays and goes . . .
Forty Niners Forever 
Garnett out for at least the first month of the season. That explains the Tomlinson trade.
this article breaks it down pretty good. It’s not “Kap is better than X number of back ups and he’s getting blackballed.”
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/31/colin-kaepernick-nfl-blackball-national-anthem-protests
great to see pre season games carrying such meaning for the fans…..
Easy to make the assumption of his B. S. Protest as the reason, join the dots right?
Pro evaluators understand very well his skill set fits exactly 2 teams in the NFL and his baggage ain’t worth close to benchmarked status for those 2 teams. Like it or lump it those are real world facts.
Pro evaluators made Cade McCown a starter in the NFL, 12th. Mike Glennon as well. Osweiler got a $billion to suck harder that a vaccuum. If these are the options the Jets and Bears are going with, welcome to 4-24. But hey, who cares about winning when you look PC?
There are 2 QB with the same run first skillset, neither has a job, Kap and RG3, but only 1 protested yet both are unemployed. The other QB’s you mentioned are less skilled than either RG3 or Kap on a raw basis, but none of them need a revamp of an entire offense just for them and since neither RG3 or Kap can run a pocket passing offense or read a defense well, that leaves precisely 2 teams they could go to purely as back ups. Carolina and Seattle and in each case those teams would need a well above average running game and neither have it.
Sorry, but that doesn’t hold water, Flav. Kaepernick is better than at least 50 of the 96 QB in the league. The owners are chickenshit, plain and simple. Cade McCown? Please.He’s a fucking piece of shit QB who should be holding a clipboard. You are telling me Mike Glennon is better than Kaepernick? Not to mention the 40 or 50 shitty backups.
Kappy’s not the 2nd coming of Steve Young, but he’s better than a lot of QBs currently on NFL rosters. Half the players in the NFL could protest and it wouldn’t matter one iota. Kaepernick is the flash point to the owners and the disgruntled white trash that vilify him for his actions.
If you think it is difficult for teams to change their offense to fit a more mobile QB, then the league is full of moron OCs. Do Osweiler and Kizer fit the same mold? Did Montana and Young? Newton and Anderson? Romo and Prescott? It’s laughable.
Tell ya one thing, if Denver got Kaepernick last year, they would have been in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, this game is winding down. CJ Beathard is making Hot Tub Matt Barkley expendable.
The team actually looks pretty viable. Another quick turnaround?
DeAndre Smelter relegated to 3rd string.
Funniest line of the article:
Meritocracy? Right. If you run over and kill someone with your car while drunk, you are viable only if you are considered a great WR. If you get convicted of beating up your girlfriend felony-style, you are viable if you are a great pass rusher. Puch your GF unconcho in an elevator and get a rousing ovation from your team. IF you are a good RB.
Social commentary? Fair to middling players need not apply, Sorry, we have to protect the trailer park crowd. If Tom Brady took a knee (right), would he be blackballed? No.
If Kap could learn to read defenses and stay in the pocket he would be employed today. But he can’t do either one.
I was hoping Smelter would end up making the team. He still might, but he hasn’t made much of a name for himself in the games. Maybe the practice squad? Boldin with another long kick return for a TD. I have him being cut, but does two returns for touchdowns change that? I don’t know if he’s enough of a receiver to meet Shanahan’s versatility criteria. He’s said he prefers guys who can do more than just ST. We’ll see on Saturday.
It looks like we are gonna put a fairly good product on the field. Depth is gonna be our biggest enemy this year and that means we are going to let some good players go at positions where we have a log jam. RB and WR are two areas where that will take place. CB’s and OL is our weak spot and we will keep more players for those positions because we need to.
Laken Tomlinson? I’m always suspicious of 1st rd OL draft pick busts. But I like the aggressiveness of Shanny/Lynch. It’s a move that *could* pay off big time.
My friend was probably doing laps in his living room last night when Boldin returned that punt. He’s been bragging him up since he was drafted. Boldin is his nephew.
Read the post by spit. As usual, he says what somebody else thinks and gets it wrong. He’s a propaganda machine. He should stick to his own opinions and quit trying to speak for others.
Straw man arguments are easy to win, eh?
Yeah I’m concerned about the corners. Good to have Jimmy Ward back but he hasn’t set foot on the field. He was rocking the sunglasses at night on the sidelines.
O line? We are pass blocking well. Run blocking not so much. At times the RBs aren’t waiting for the blocking, other times the shit isn’t there. Work inrogress but we look about 80x better than a year ago.
If it’s between Boldin and Taylor then Taylor gets the nod. We’ll see.
Here at the library, so I thought I’d drop in. WordPress and my PC are still incompatible and will remain so pretty much forever, so I’ll be here only on rare occasions.
5-11
Really tough call – if we stay healthy (I’m talking to you, Hoyer) and play like we did in the first quarter against the Vikes, we’ll win a lot more than 5. But, we won’t get to play against Mr. Dink and Dunk Not Even As Well as Alex (yeah, Bradford) this year, so there’s that. Secondary is really suspect, our pass rush is unproven, and our run defense was all-time worst last year. How much will that latter improve? Run game is also questionable – is Hyde really THE MAN? Receivers look miles and miles better. Play calling is a million times better. Young defense should get a lot better as the season goes on. ST looks vastly improved.
w-Rams, Rams, Bears, Jags
?-Eagles, Colts
L-pretty much everybody else
I’ll check in in a month or so. Hi to everybody!
RT- Great to see you. I hate computer problems. I had adjusted my win/loss prediction about a week ago from 4-12 to 3-13. I am going back to 4-12. To me its all about depth because injuries always happen. I also think this is gonna be a real fun year to watch 49er football.
We traded a future 5th rd pick for the ex-#1 OLineman. I really hope he works out because this new regime seems to pick pretty well in the 5th. Kittle and Taylor were fantastic picks this year.
Our 2019 pick. . . I wouldn’t sweat it. better than a shitty punter, anyway.
Yes! Both those guys could end up being studs. Kittle looks like a natural and Taylor is fearless with stickum for hands.
No way I see Boldin beating out Taylor if it comes to that. Taylor is an actual viable receiver and Shanny likes him. His 40 yard punt return was overshadowed by Boldin’s great play. Taylor is a gamer and the Niners need depth at the slot wideout position. He’s had a great all around camp.
Hey RT. I think one area the D will improve the most is against the run. Pretty hard to go anywhere but up after last year. The D-line is green but pretty well stacked. The LB’s should be solid with Foster, Bow and Armstrong. All three are fast and good run-stoppers.
What are your problems, RTF? My settings are not really set to stop normal traffic.
I’m chomping at the bit for news on the cuts, but haven’t found anything yet. If any of you guys hear anything, throw it up here. 9 days until the first game!