Forty Niners Forever

Nick Bosa, who erased his sketchy Twitter past, and is not one to post much, posted a pic of New York City. Coincidentally, where his agent’s office is. I guess it means something. I hope it means something. All I know is I want him with his teammates getting ready for the season. I don’t like these holdouts.

And while his job is basically ‘see QB, kill QB’ him getting hits and being hit would seem to be an important part of season prep. No it isn’t like Deebo, who missed all of camp and was out of shape and out of sync with the offense, and who blamed his shit season last year on that very holdout, but still, I would be much more happy with him chilling with his guys.

I’m sure he’s dying to get out there as well. 19 days till kickoff. Sign the man already. He’s the reigning defensive MVP. He’s in his prime, and he wants to get out there and have a better season than last year.

Get it done.

The 49ers beat Russell Wilson! Yeah, whatever. Still and all, some needed good news for a few guys on the team. Namely Trey Lance, Cameron Latu, and Nick Moody. Ronnie Bell has solidified his spot as a backup WR and ST guy as well. Even though he pulled his ooopsie stunt for another int. This one charged to Sam Darnold.

Lance and Latu exorcized their demons on the same play. Early in the 4th quarter, after an ugly pick on a screen pass that may or may not have been caught, and facing a 3rd and 12 deep in our territory, Lance hooked up with Latu for a 14 yard gain that jump-started the team on their way to 2 scores and a comeback win over the Broncos. In the end Lance went 12-18, 173, 1 TD and 1 pick. Cameron Latu had 3 catches for 46 yards, and 1 TD. An Nick Moody kicked 3 FGs, 20, 43, and the 32 yard game-winner (barely).

Ronnie Bell had 7 catches for 114 yards, and the team had 15 different guys catch a pass. The line, which played awful against the Raiders, was a little better blocking but had 5 penalties called on them. Yeah, it’s the backups, but still, tighten that shit up.

Is that enough to shoot Lance over Darnold? Sure. I guess. Shanny said after the game that Purdy would (surprisingly) start Friday’s game against the Chargers. I guess we’ll get a little more from his as he looked totally comfortable throwing the short to medium passes as he was 4-5 for 65 yards. Darnold was 11-19.

Maybe Shanny has learned something, Nothing insane was asked of either Purdy, Darnold, or Lance and they all went 27-37 for 342 yards. 2 TDs, 2 INTs. 99 yards rushing isn’t spectacular (14-75 by the RBs), but this game was about passing.

The defense was solid, stopping Denver twice on 4th and shorts, and one of Denver’s TDs came on a short field due to D’Shawn Jamison’s muffed punt.

Speaking of special teams, they weren’t. Beyond the missed FG, and the muffed punt, Jamison had 2 other returns for 0 yards, and Mitch Wishnowski had 3 terrible punts that averaged 32 yards per.

In the end, a nice win and some confidence-boosting for some guys that needed it.

Aaaand, invisible WR Danny Grey got hurt on the kickoff and looks to disappear for yet another season.

Well, here we are at Game II of the exciting preseason shitstorm that is the 49ers QB situation. Reports are Purdy is either ‘likely’ or ‘not likely’ to play tomorrow, because you can’t tip off the opponent regarding who will play. In a preseason game. And you can’t garner enough leadlines around who will be where in the pecking order. This team is becoming the Dallas Cowboys West what with all the garish headlines around Darnold and Lance. And even Brandon Allen.

As of now, it sure looks like Darnold is the provisional #2, and he probably gets the start tomorrow. There’s talk of playing some starters as well. Lance will bring up the rear and play the Walmart brigade in the 2nd half. If he can’t play well against them, then there really is trouble on his horizon.

Granted, I’m not one for conspiracies, but it sure looks (a little) like Shanny is paving the way for Darnold to be successful and for Lance to not. I guess we’ll see who’s playing on the line tomorrow, but if the starters get a few series’s’s, then it’s already a little tilted in Darnold’s direction. And I wonder if Shanny will tart Darnold with 9 straight passes to start the game.

And it’s hard not to avoid the scrolls as Grant Cohn sez “after stinking up the joint, Lance has his best practice of the preseason” as everyone else takes turns shitting on the kid. I feel bad for Lance, as he’s had an even more fucked up start to his career than Alex Smith. People are coming out of the walls to take their shot at him. Where it goes from here, we all get to watch. I hope it all goes well, but your guess is as good as mine what the outcome is.

Hey, I don’t know. But seeing as the Trey Lance hope train is losing steam, let’s take a look at the draft record for the current brain trust. My contention is the fact we gave away the farm for Lance isn’t the crippling debacle it could have been. Our high draft pick record is spotty anyway, so the hit is not as damaging as it could have been.

I won;t grade this year as they haven’t played. So . . .

2022

• 2-61 DL Drake Jackson, USC – So far, meh. Lots of room for improvement
• 3-93 RB Tyrion Davis-Price, LSU – So far, meh. Lots of room for improvement
• 3-105 WR Danny Gray, SMU – Waste pick. Has done nothing.
• 4-134 OL Spencer Burford, UTSA – Solid pick. Rounded out into a long-term starter
• 5-172 CB Samuel Womack, Toledo – Decent player. Good get where he was drafted
• 5-187 OL Nick Zakelj, Fordham – Could be a good pick if he’s a decent backup
• 6-220- DL Kalia Davis, UCF – 3rd stringer.
• 6-221 DB Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn State – Gone
• 7-262 QB Brock Purdy, Iowa State – Draft steal of the century? Much still to prove, but

2021

• 1, 3 – Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State – Still waiting
• 2, 48 (from LV) – Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame  – With Burford, a long-term starter
• 3, 88 (from LAR) – Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio St – The usual 3rd round waste pick
• 3, 102 – Ambry Thomas, CB, Michigan – Solid for where we got him
• 5, 155 – Jaylon Moore, OG, Western Michigan – Struggling to get it
• 5, 172 – Deommodore Lenoir, CB, Oregon – Hot and cold. mainly cold but a 5
• 5, 180 – Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC – Dude looks for real, Great start last year
• 6, 194 – Elijah Mitchell, RB, Louisiana – Great for where we got him, Injury prone

2020

1, 14th (from Bucs) DT Javon Kinlaw, SCar – Still waiting. Injuries may kill career
1: 25th (from Vikes) WR Brandon Aiyuk, AZ State – Total baller. Breakout season coming up
5: 153rd (from Miami) OL Colton McKivitz, WVa – This season we’ll see. 5th round steal?
6: 190th (from Eagles) TE Charlie Woerner, GA – Solid 6th round pick. Nothing great
7: 217th (from Lions) WR Jauan Jennings, Tennessee – Tough as nails. Could be starter. Keeper

2019

1:  Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State – Pay the man. Worth every penny
2: Deebo Samuel, WR, SCar – Paid the man. Worth every penny
3: Jalen Hurd, WR, Baylor – Waste pick. Retired
4: Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah – Too high for a punter, but hey, he’s still here
5: Dre Greenlaw, LB, Ark – Great pick. Phenomenal hitter
6: Kaden Smith, TE, Stanford – Gone and forgotten
6: Justin Skule, OT, Vandy – Drifted to Tampa Bay
6: Tim Harris, CB, Va – Out of the league i think

2018

1 (9) Mike McGlinchey, OT, ND – Good pick, not great. Priced off the team
2 (44) Dante Pettis, WR, Wash – Waste pick but still in the league on ST
3 (70) Fred Warner, OLB, BYU – Possible HOFer. Spectacular pick
3 (95) Tarv. Moore, S, S Miss – Decent guy. On the Packers
4 (128) Kent. Street, DE, NC St – Decent pick for 4th but injured and now an Eagle
5, (142) D.J. Reed, DB, K State – Great pick. Solid DB we let get away
6 (184) Marcell Harris, DB, Fla – Backup. FA.
7 (223) Jul. Taylor, DT Temple – Bounced around the league. Done.
7 (240) Rick James, WR M Ten St – Good pick at 7. Solid special teamer.

2017

1, 3. Solomon Thomas, DE Snodfart – High 3rd rounder at best. Bust at #3
1, 31. Reuben Foster, LB Alabama – Head case. Bust at #31. USFLer now
3, 66. Ahkelo Witherspoon, CB Colo – Inconsistent, but not terrible. Solid 3 pick
4, 104. C.J. Beathard, QB Iowa – Forever backup. Fine for a 4th
4, 121. Joe Williams, RB Utah – Waste pick of all their waste picks
5, 146. George Kittle, TE Iowa – Another huge steal this low
6, 177. Trent Taylor, WR Louisiana Tech – Solid at 6. STer and good possession WR
7, 198. D.J. Jones, DT Mississippi – Yet another late-round steal. Priced out of here
7, 202. Pita Taumoepenu, LB Utah – On the Jets. Other than that, ?
7, 229. Adrian Colbert, CB Miami – On the Bears. Other than that, ?

There you have it. Looking at the list:

1st round pick starters – 2 – Bosa, Aiyuk (McGlinchey starting for Denver)
2nd round pick starters – 2 – Banks, Deebo
3rd round pick starters – 1 – Fred Warner
4th round pick starters – 2 – Burford, Wishnowski
5th round pick starters – 4 – Kittle, McKivitz, Greenlaw, Hufanga (honorable mention DJ Reed)
6th round pick starters – 1 – Mitchell
7th round pick starters – 1 – Purdy (honorable mention to Jauan Jennings and DJ Jones)

Agree or disagree with my thoughts on these guys, but more often than not, this team hits their starters at 4 and below. When you look at teams that have sold the farm for a shot as a QB, the fucking Rams spring to mind. They traded their first-round pick (2016), two second-round picks (2016), a third-round pick (2016), a first-round pick (2017) and another third-round pick (2017) for Jared Goff.

Yes, the same Jared Goff they traded to Deetroit for Matthew Stafford, two 1st round picks (2022, 2023), and a 2021 3rd round pick.

So, they cut their losses with Goff, and traded MORE #1 picks to get Stafford. Granted, the Rams are a disaster now, but they did manage to squeeze out a Super Bowl victory in all that mess.

Pretty sloppy effort all around today, but hey, it’s all backups all the time. Shanny did no favors for his young QB by telegraphing the fact that every play was gonna be a throw to start the game. It wasn’t until the fourth drive before we ran the ball. Once we ripped off a coupe runs, Lance was able to move the team. Pretty? No, but some of it looked fine. He sure doesn’t look like he’s processing the field fast enough. A step behind throwing out of the pocket, and late in breaking contain.

As I’ve been complaining about, the offensive line depth is non-existent. Lance had little to no time to throw, and when he did he seemed indecisive and slow to throw things away. Still, it’s game action. Game action that he needs to progress. Darnold was Darnold. More than a few nice plays, and a couple piss-poor ones.

And the rookies fared pretty poorly. Automatic Moody missed a 40 yard FG attempt, TE Cameron Latu fumbled the ball on the 49er 12, and WR Robbie Bell dropped a pass for a pick. All in all, though, Bell looked pretty solid with a bunch of nice catches. With Ray Ray McCloud out, D’Shawn Jamison looked very good as the new punt/kick returner.

Too many penalties, the Raiders drove up and down the field, and the only TD scored by the red and gold was on a sure pick thrown by Lance that was tipped around and caught by Dwelley.

Lance gets a full half. Will he last through the quarter? I guess the question is, will Shanny use Lance as a runner? Like he said he woouldn’t? I haven’t railed on Shanny’s (mis)use of Lance lately, but the point remains. Leave him in the pocket for fuck’s sake. Let him build a rhythm and some consistency in the pocket before trying to run him.

Funny that we play Jimmy G in his first game as a Raider. Haven’t heard if he’s gonna play or not, but to my thinking, he should. If only to get hit by the guys he used to play with. And Derek Carr is shredding the KC defense as both teams are going at it with their starters.

We won’t be. Purdy apparently struggled through the practice sessions with the Raiders, and if we war making the Raider defense look good, well that don’t bode well. Still and all, preseason means nothing, if only to solidify the starters.

Guy to look out for is UDFA CB D’Shawn Jamison. He’s only 5’9″ but is getting rave reviews from everyone on the team, including Charvarius Ward, who said he’s learning how to backpedal better from him. High praise for an undrafted rook fighting for a spot.

Pay the guy already.

• Aaron Donald is getting 3/$95 mill. That works out to $31.667 mill a year.
• TJ Watt is getting 4/$112 mill. $28 mill a year.
• Brother Joey Bosa is getting 4/$102 mill. $27 mill per.
• Myles Garrett is getting 5/$125 mill. $25 mill per.
• Khalil Mack is getting 6/$141. $23 mill per, but his $141 mill total leads the way.

It shouldn’t be too hard to sgn him for 5/$160 mill art $32 mill per season. Joey can’t even stay on the field and he gets a monster payday. Same with TJ Watt. Bosa had the one year lost to injury but otherwise has been there.

My guess would be the sticking points are guaranteed money and signing bonus money. These guys are all over the map. But, lordy, some might big numbers.

• Donald got $25 mill signing bonus, and a whopping $95 mill guaranteed.
• Watt – $35 mill, $80 mill guaranteed.
• J Bosa – $35 mill, $102 mill guaranteed (yikes)
• Garrett – $21 mill, $100 mill guarantees
• Mack – $34 mill, $90 mill guaranteed

Shit, Nick may just be going after brother Joey’s signing bonus. Thing is, you really can’t let this guy walk. He’s a generational player, and he should get his one monster deal, and then see where we are come 2028.

Tell ya one thing, the Watt brothers and the Bosa brothers could get together and buy the entire league. Just want this shot done so it isn’t a distraction like the Deebo holdout was last year.

Got to say, I love Grant Cohn if only for his moronic takes reporting on the 49ers. He ripped Kyle Shanahan after day 1 of practice last Thursday when the quarterbacks in the fold did pretty poorly. Purdy didn’t practice, Lance 10 (2-5), Darnold 8 (1-5) and Allen 4 (1-3). He railed at the stupidity of not giving Lance more reps. He railed that he’s stunting the progress of Lance. That Darnold shouldn’t get near as many as Lance.

It’s day one of camp, skippy.

These camp reports are still too much nonsense. From Nolan saying Smith is “‘”really getting the deep ball down” to Singleneuron saying “Gore gets the ball 50 times a game” to Harbaugh saying “Smith really has the deep ball down” to Jimmy bag-a donuts farting away his job, it’s all hot air and not worth the time it takes to read.

Other than that, I don’t know. But we have football in 9 days!!! The season is nigh!

These stupid ranking systems are as useful as the ether they are printed on, but this is pretty funny. No love for the 49ers Brock Purdy despite his strong showing coming off the bench as the 3rd string QB to lead the 49ers to (almost) the promised land.

Deshaun Watson had a horrible season, and hasn’t played well in 3 seasons, yet comes in as a Tier 2 guy. Cousins and Murray ahead of Purdy?? Please. Rogers is a Tier 1? Based 3 years ago? He sucked shit through a tube last year.

I added Tier 5 as the Athletic left the last two guys off.

Tier 1

A Tier 1 quarterback can carry his team each week. The team wins because of him. He expertly handles pure passing situations. He has no real holes in his game.

1 Patrick Mahomes Chiefs
2 Joe Burrow Bengals
3 Josh Allen Bills
4 Aaron Rodgers Jets
5 Justin Herbert Chargers

Tier 2

A Tier 2 quarterback can carry his team sometimes but not as consistently. He can handle pure passing situations in doses and/or possesses other dimensions that are special enough to elevate him above Tier 3. He has a hole or two in his game.

6 Jalen Hurts Eagles
7 Lamar Jackson Ravens
8 Trevor Lawrence Jaguars
9 Dak Prescott Cowboys
10 Matthew Stafford Rams
11 Deshaun Watson Browns
12 Kirk Cousins Vikings

Tier 3

A Tier 3 quarterback is a legitimate starter but needs a heavier running game and/or defensive component to win. A lower-volume dropback passing offense suits him best.

13 Kyler Murray Cardinals
14 Derek Carr Saints
15 Jared Goff Lions
16 Russell Wilson Broncos
17 Tua Tagovailoa Dolphins
18 Jimmy Garoppolo Raiders
19 Daniel Jones Giants
20 Geno Smith Seahawks
21 Justin Fields Bears
22 Ryan Tannehill Titans
23 Mac Jones Patriots

Tier 4

A Tier 4 quarterback could be an unproven player (not enough information for voters to classify) or a veteran who ideally would not start all 17 games.

24 Brock Purdy 49ers
25 Kenny Pickett Steelers
26 Jordan Love Packers
27 Baker Mayfield Buccaneers
28 Sam Howell Commanders
29 Desmond Ridder Falcons 
30 Gardner Minshew Colts

Tier 5

A Tier 5 quarterback that sucks balls all day and twice on Sunday. Or a rookie.

31 CJ Stroud Texans
32 Bryce Young Panthers

Just got word from Coach Shanahan that Brock Purdy has been cleared to practice with the team as camp opens on Thursday. Purdy is “cleared without restriction” per Shanny. This is excellent news.

But let’s hope he can stay healthy. We have an unnerving ability to get our quarterbacks hurt, but let’s focus on the good. Purdy is the #1 at this point and time, and I don’t see anything changing, and the roster is pretty much set in stone at this point. The big fight appears to be who is the #2 quarterback, and did we waste another 3rd round pick on a RB who is soon to be cut for a UDFA. As in Klahan Laborn beating out Ty Davis-Price. A la Jordan Mason beating out Trey Sermon. The list of successful UDFA RBs goes back to Shanny’s 1st season here, so I’m glad we used the usual wasted 3rd round RB spot for a kicker.

Sam linebacker is about the only starting spot up for grabs. Oren Burkes looks to beat out the long-winded Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and become the starting strong side linebacker after his strong showing last year when the Al-Shaair went down.

Amazingly, despite 25 free agents, the 49ers only lost a few starters, returning 19 of 22 of them. The most obvious being Mike McGlinchey. They also lost Samuel Ebukam and Azeez Al-Shaair. Ebukam has been replaced by Mike Hargraves, and that spot looks upgraded. And the previously mentioned Sam LB spot is up for grabs between DFF, Burkes, and late draft picks Dee Winters and Jalen Graham.

I’m still worried about our offensive line depth. Or lack thereof. Jaylon Moore, a 5th round pick from a couple years ago, likely won’t make the team. And that is bad news considering he couldn’t beat out Matt Pryor, a less than average guy we picked up off the slag heap. Nik Zakelj looks to be on the firing line very quickly if (when) Trent Williams gets dinged up, or Colton McKivitz kivitzes his way out of the starting spot. Hopefully we can get someone better after cuts start happening. The 49ers have a knack for turning shit to gold with their linemen (and running backs), but I think we NEED more depth.