Category: NFL

San Francisco 49ers Podcast with David Zizmor: Boldin’s retirement announcement makes sense; Hoyer looking for improved game in Minnesota on Saturday

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AP File Photo: Former San Francisco 49er and now former Buffalo Bills’ Anquan Boldin warms up before a preseason NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, in Orchard Park, N.Y. Boldin announced his retirement this past week. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

On the 49ers podcast with David:

Former San Francisco 49er Anquan Boldin who announced his retirement from the game of football this past week did so for life related reasons. After the Charlottesville Riots he decided that there was more to life than football and decided to get involved politically and help his nearby community as well as other communities

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer who struggled against Denver on Saturday will take another stab at it again this time in Minnesota for pre season game number two. Last Saturday Hoyer besides having trouble moving the ball and throwing it tried to make a pass but lost the ball and said later he had no idea where the football went. He’s hoping to having a better outing this coming Saturday.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Takeaways from Raiders preseason home tilt with Rams

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Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — Halfway through the preseason, the Raiders are 0-2.

Cause for concern if you’re Raider Nation?

Not really, seeing that the first game of the regular season against the Titans in Nashville isn’t for another month and records don’t carry over from the preseason, but after watching the Raiders lose to the Rams 24-21 at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Saturday night, a few things jumped out at me in the press box relating to the Silver and Black:

Starting quarterback Derek Carr looks healthy, but starting left tackle Donald Penn’s absence looms large

Saturday night marked the first time that Carr was in uniform for the Silver and Black for a home game after sustaining a season-ending leg injury on Christmas Eve against the Indianapolis Colts last season.

Showing no signs of the injury that derailed the Raiders’ chances of winning their first playoff game since 2002, Carr completed 7-of-9 passes for 100 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in three drives for Oakland.

Carr found backup tight end Lee Smith for Oakland’s first score of the game with a 19-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that gave Oakland an early 7-0 lead, then in the second quarter, Carr hooked up wide receiver Michael Crabtree on a 13-yard, catch-and-run touchdown that saw Crabtree absolutely abuse Rams cornerback Troy Hill with a ridiculous fake out move that left Hill on roller skates.

Fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper may had the highlight of the night when he jumped over two defenders to reel in a 31-yard pass from Carr in the second quarter.

Carr finished with a passer rating of 113.0, but had to move around in the pocket to avoid a bevy of Rams’ pass rushers coming from the left side of the offensive line to complete his passes. When you’re worth $125 million and play the most crucial position in football and the team will only go as far as you, your health is of the utmost concern and it was evident that the Raiders need their wall of an left tackle on the field if Carr is to remain healthy.

Penn has been a no-show during all of training camp in Napa due to wanting a new contract. The 11-year veteran is set to make $5.8 million in the final year of his deal and wants to be paid as a top-10 left tackle.

Some may point out that Penn could be replaced if he decides to stay away, which I don’t buy. Penn may have given up the sack that led to the end of Carr’s MVP-like 2016 season, but he is irreplaceable and the Raiders and Penn need to come to an agreement somewhere if they expect to be a Super Bowl team.

The defense can be leaky

Defensive end Khalil Mack recorded a sack in his first preseason action, but the rest of Raiders’ defense has some work to do.

Rams’ starting quarterback Jared Goff was razor sharp, completing 16-of-20 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown in leading Los Angeles to 17 points in his three drives of work. Goff looked more poised and confident in Year 2 than he did as a rookie last year and showed growth as an NFL quarterback by keeping the Raiders defense on their heels with quick passes and tough runs by starting running back Todd Gurley.

But the real guy that was hurting the Raiders was Rams’ rookie wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

Kupp was a matchup problem for Oakland, especially working in the slot and it showed in catching six balls for 70 yards and a 23-yard touchdown where Goff found Kupp 10-yards ahead of the closest Raider defender. There’s no question that Goff will look for Kupp early and often in games during the regular season.

There were times where you saw Raider defensive backs looked out of position, most notably on the Rams’ final drive of the game and backup quarterback Sean Mannion dropped a 20-yard dime for a touchdown to another promising Rams rookie, wide receiver Josh Reynolds, for the game-winning score leaving reserve cornerback Chris Humes confused.

Mannion finished 15-of-22 for 132 yards after taking over for Goff at halftime.

The battle for the No. 2 quarterback continues, but Cook could have inside track at job

One week, fifth-year quarterback EJ Manuel appeared to be in the driver’s seat to be the No. 2 guy behind Carr after completing 10-of-12 passes for 107 yards and posting a 103.8 passer rating against the Cardinals, Manuel didn’t look near as good against the Rams in front of Raider Nation.

Manuel took over for Carr and was just 3-of-9 for 16 yards with a passer rating of 42.4 in two drives.

Connor Cook may have actually helped his case at being the primary backup behind Carr with his night.

The second-year signal-caller from Michigan State finished the game completing 9-of-15 passes for 81 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown dart to backup wide receiver Johnny Holton to give Oakland a 21-17 lead late in the fourth quarter. Cook completed his final six-straight passes on the 11-play, 65-yard drive for the Silver and Black.

After posting a meager 58.0 passer rating in Arizona, Cook finished with a passer rating of 97.4 against Los Angeles.

Both teams will be in action again next Saturday, Aug. 26 for preseason football, with the Raiders traveling to Dallas, and Los Angeles hosting their in-city rival, the Chargers.

Lynch sits again, Carr puts right arm around Mack during National Anthem

Prior to the start of the game, Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch sat down during the National Anthem. Lynch also sat during the National Anthem in Arizona last weekend.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr put his right arm on the shoulder of defensive end Khalil Mack during the National Anthem.

Recently, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett (who sat during the National Anthem during Seattle’s 48-17 win over the Chargers last Sunday), called for white football players to join the anthem protest to help change and improve race relations and the general treatment of other human beings.

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders Saturday game wrap: Mannion leads Rams to late victory 24-21

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Sean Mannion (14) passes against the Oakland Raiders during the second half of an NFL preseason football game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-What a difference from the last time that Derek Carr was playing on the grass at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The last time Carr was on the field at the Coliseum, he was writhing in pain after suffering a broken leg in the home finale against the Indianapolis Colts.

Even though it is the preseason, the fairy tale did not have a happy ending, as Sean Mannion found Josh Reynolds for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 remaining in the game and the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Oakland Raiders 24-21 before a paid crowd of 53,659 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Following the Rams touchdown to retake the lead from the Raiders, Connor Cook began to drive the Raiders down the field; however, the drive stalled, as Cook was sacked for a seven-yard loss on fourth-and-10 with 27 seconds to secure the victory for the Rams.

Carr played the entire first quarter and most of the second quarter, as he went 7-for-9 for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Just 1:41 after the Rams took a 7-0 lead on their initial drive of the game, when Jared Goff found Cooper Kupp for a 23-yard touchdown pass, Carr tied up the game, as he hooked up with Lee Smith for a 19-yard touchdown pass.

After the Rams retook the lead on a Todd Gurley two-yard touchdown run, Carr found Michael Crabtree for a 13-yard touchdown pass that saw Crabtree juke his defender to get into the end zone.

Goff went 16-for-20 for 160 yards and a touchdown in his first action back in the East Bay since playing for CAL under former head coach Sonny Dykes.

Greg Zuerlein gave the Rams a three-point lead with 2:49 remaining in the first half, as he finished off a 16 play 58-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock after a 35-yard field goal.

The Zuerlein would be the last points scored by either team until Cook found Johnny Holton for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 6:30 remaining in the game to give the Raiders their only lead of the game.

Mannion and the Rams drove right down and scored the eventual game-winning touchdown, as Mannion found Reynolds in the corner of the end zone to give the Rams the victory.

Marshawn Lynch made his Raiders debut, as he carried the ball twice for 10 yards.

Lynch got the ball on the Raiders first play following the Kupp touchdown reception, and then again after a Carr completion to Jared Cook, Lynch gained four yards.

NOTES: With just two preseason games remaining, the Raiders return to the road next week, as they face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium

This will be the first of two meetings between the teams this year, as the Cowboys trek to the Coliseum for a regular season matchup on December 17.

Turnovers wreck 49ers 33-14; Hoyer throws for 89 yards but confusion on offense costs team

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer (2) hands off to running back Carlos Hyde during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA – Granted, this is the preseason. But still, Saturday night’s game at Levi’s Stadium left a lot to be desired. And on offense, it left little hope, if any at all.

The 49ers wasted a very nice defensive effort from the starting unit by turning the ball over five times and generating next to no offense in a 33-14 loss to the Denver Broncos in their second exhibition game.

The 49ers defense forced a punt on the first series, but a huge mistake on special teams shifted the momentum of the game dramatically, when backup safety Jaquiski Tartt was found to have touched the ball with his calf while covering a punt.

Denver’s Will Parks then recovered at the 49ers’ 11-yard line. Two plays later, cornerback Rashard Robinson was flagged for pass interference in the end zone, placing the ball at the 49ers’ 1. C.J Anderson plowed through two 49er defenders across the goal line three plays after that to give Denver a 7-0 lead.

Starting quarterback Brian Hoyer completed eight of his 11 passes for 89 yards, but he had a rather-forgettable night, particularly due to one play.

Late in the first quarter, Hoyer had the ball slide right out of his hand as he took his arm back to throw, and defensive end Shelby Harris scooped up the loose ball for the Broncos, killing a drive filled with potential.

“It’s literally the worst feeling I’ve ever had as a quarterback,” Hoyer said. “I went to throw it hard, and all of a sudden, I don’t know where the ball is.”

Early in the second quarter, Hoyer found Marquise Goodwin over the middle but ended up with an interception when Chris Lewis-Harris snatched the ball away from Goodwin as he was going to the ground while still gathering in the throw.

On the positive side, the first-team defense, which played much of the first half, fared pretty well against one of the better teams in the NFL, giving up only 148 total yards in that timeframe.

Robinson, the rookie corner whom the 49ers are expecting to cover the opposition’s best receiver this season, had a nice overall showing after being burned multiple times in Kansas City.

Although he was flagged for pass interference in the first quarter, he did fairly well in covering All-Pro receiver Demaryius Thomas, giving up only a 4-yard catch and making a fine open-field tackle on a third-down screen pass in the second quarter to force a field-goal attempt.

Tartt, meanwhile, atoned for his early special-teams miscue with a big third-down sack late in the second quarter that forced Denver to kick another field goal.

The 49ers got on the board on its first possession of the second half, when tight end George Kittle caught a screen pass and broke two tackles along the sideline, tight-roping his way into the end zone to cut Denver’s lead to 20-7.

If there is a glimmer of hope on the offensive side, it was that rookie quarterback C.J Beathard had a solid outing. Playing in the second half, he hit on seven of his 12 throws for 110 yards and the touchdown, backing up the strong performance he had against the Chiefs.

Rookie receiver Victor Bolden got a chance to show off his speed late in the fourth quarter, as he took a kickoff and out-ran the Broncos en route to a 104-yard touchdown return. In all, Bolden returned six kicks for 184 yards on Saturday.

San Francisco 49ers Podcast with Joe Lami: Shanahan to take a overall look at positions that need to be filled

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer (2) throws between center Daniel Kilgore (67) and offensive lineman Brandon Fusco (63) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

1 Joe takes a look at the quarterbacking for the 49ers, starter Brian Hoyer, backups Matt Blakely,CJ Breathard and Nick Mullens

2 At running back and full backs probable starters Carlos Hyde, Tim Hightower, Kyle Juszczyk, and Tyler McCloskey

3 Wide receivers Marquise Goodwin, Aaron Burbridge, Pierre Garcon, and Jeremy Kerley most likely targets for Hoyer

4 Joe talks about 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan he’s coaching his first home game as the 49ers head coach and his father former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan will be on hand to watch how Kyle does.

5 Also a look at what coach Shanahan will be looking for, what holes need to be filled, and how to jell the talent

Joe Lami does the San Francisco 49ers podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Oakland Raiders Podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders could finish 2019 in Vegas or San Antonio instead of Oakland while new stadium is being built

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reviewjournal.com photo: Oakland Raiders new stadium in Las Vegas 2020

On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon:

1 The Las Vegas Stadium Authority is talking with the Oakland Raiders management on the conditions of keeping the team in Vegas for the next 30 years

2 The stadium authority wants to make sure that it gets it’s PSLs lined up and also they have discussed parking for the fans

3 On the agreement with UNLV front for the Raiders both sides have an agreement that UNLV football will play its games at the Raiders new stadium and share the stadium with the Raiders who are the main tenant

4 On for this Saturday night the Raiders host the LA Rams at the Oakland Coliseum for the second pre season game Joe takes a look at who the Raiders will be keying in on

5 Also Joe takes a look at the discussion regarding the Raiders playing their final year before the new stadium is ready either at a neutral site in Vegas, in San Antonio or at the Oakland Coliseum in 2019

Joe Hawkes Beamon podcasts Raiders football each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NFL Podcast with London Marq: NFLPA Rep Smith says NFL likely to go on strike or lock out at the end of current contract

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USA Today photo: DeMaurice Smith NFLPA representative addressing the media regarding the possibility of a strike or lockout in 2021

On the NFL Podcast with London:

1 NFLPA representative DeMaurice Smith says the NFL most likely will go on strike or lock out in 2012 some four years from now. Smith says the issue of the salary cap is one of the big sticking points. In 2006 the owners in the uncapped year said they wanted to opt out in 2008. In 2011 the owners did a deal with opt outs Smith says the owners liked about the salary cap opt outs

2 The one hot topic is in 2010 in the final year of the last CBA it was an uncapped year but when Dallas and Washington went over the cap the two teams were punished even though it was understood that it was an uncapped year

3 The Oakland Raiders host the LA Rams this Saturday night at the Oakland Coliseum for game two of the pre season London goes over who he likes in this one

4 The San Francisco 49ers host the Denver Broncos this Saturday night at Levis Stadium London takes a look at some of the things the 49ers will be looking for in this game

London Marq does the NFL podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

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Oakland Raiders host Los Angeles Rams at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Preseason Encounter

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Oakland Raiders quarterback EJ Manuel (3) during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — The Raiders will play their first home game of the preseason schedule when they host the Los Angeles Rams Saturday night at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PT.

This will mark the first game between the Raiders and the Rams in the preseason since 2015 (an 18-3 home win for the Silver and Black). Oakland and Los Angeles last played in the regular season in 2014, when the Rams rolled over the Raiders 52-0 in St. Louis where the Rams called home from 1995-2015 after relocating from Los Angeles originally.

Oakland dropped their preseason opener 20-10 to the Arizona Cardinals last Saturday night in Glendale.

The Raiders held out most of their top players most notably quarterback Derek Carr, running back Marshawn Lynch, wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, offensive lineman Gabe Jackson, Rodney Hudson, and Kelechi Osemele.

With left tackle Donald Penn still holding out due to a contract dispute, the Raiders were cautious about playing Carr in the preseason opener. Carr is the franchise signal-caller the organization rewarded with a five-year, $125 million extension following his second-straight 3,900-passing yards and 25 touchdown-passing season in the offseason.

But with the second preseason game on the horizon and the Raiders returning to their Alameda headquarters Thursday following their annual training camp in Napa for the remainder of the season, you’d expect Carr and the first-team offense to be on the field Saturday night for at least the first quarter in front of Raider Nation.

Training camp reps are great, but Carr and the first-team offense need to be on the same page and live-action in an NFL game (even if it’s preseason), is the only way teams get better especially a team that have been picked by most Las Vegas odds-makers as the AFC’s representative in Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis on Feb. 4, 2018.

Once Carr gets his work in for the evening, the battle for Carr’s backup will continue between five-year veteran quarterback EJ Manuel and second-year signal-caller Connor Cook.

Manuel got the starting nod against Arizona and played admirable in the first half, completing 10-of-12 passes for 107 yards and a quarterback rating of 103.8. The former Buffalo starter was signed in the offseason to be Carr’s backup, but Cook was drafted in the fourth round by the Raiders in 2016 and the organization believes he could be just as good as Carr someday.

Cook took over for Manuel and played the entire second half and was just 10-of-21 for 82 yards, but did lead the Raiders to their lone touchdown of the evening, a one-yard rushing score by second-year reserve running back John Crockett in the third quarter that finished off a five-play, 63-yard drive.

Remember, Cook did make NFL history last season becoming the first rookie quarterback to make his pro debut in a playoff game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, albeit after the Raiders lost Carr to a broken leg for the remainder of the season after an 12-3 start on Christmas Eve.

Losing Carr was the ultimate lump of coal in the stockings of Raider Nation.

Defensively, defensive end Khalil Mack and linebacker Bruce Irvin sat out Saturday’s contest in the desert. Both Mack and Irvin should see the field and get a chance to play with some of Silver and Black’s younger talent in second-year linebacker Cory James and rookie middle linebacker Marquel Lee.

James led all defensive players with seven tackles (seven solo) and looked more comfortable defending the run, while Lee finished with six tackles (five solo) and a fumble recovery in his first NFL preseason game.

Lee did struggle at times covering the running back out of the backfield and tight ends on option- and curl-routes, and needs to improve his coverage skills as the Raiders face dynamic tight ends almost on a weekly basis with Kansas City and San Diego coming to mind with elite guys named Travis Kelce and Antonio Gates, respectively.

Rookie defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes may have wrapped up a starting job, but fellow rookie defensive tackle Treyvon Hester racked up two of Oakland’s four sacks in Arizona with rookie linebacker LaTroy Lewis registering the other two sacks to go along with four tackles (four solo).

Add in holdovers Justin “Jelly” Ellis and defensive end Mario Edwards, Oakland’s defensive front could be intriguing to watch in 2017 after lacking any serious punch in 2016 with a league-low 25 sacks, 18 by the aforementioned Mack (team-leading 11.0 sacks) and Irvin (second with 7.0 sacks).

The Rams enter Oakland 1-0 in the preseason following a 13-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Los Angeles last Saturday.

Former California starting quarterback Jared Goff, the Rams No. 1 overall pick in 2016, started the game and finished 3-of-4 for 34 yards during his only drive. The Rams are entering the 2017 season hoping that they can rebound from a disastrous 4-12 season a year ago that resulted in a head coaching change, out goes longtime head coach Jeff Fisher and enters first-timer Sean McVay.

McVay spent the last seven seasons in Washington as an offensive assistant, but the last three as the offensive coordinator where he’s aided in the growth of Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins has posted back-to-back 4,000-yard passing seasons in the Nation’s Capital and is line for a major contract next offseason after making  nearly $44 million (fully guaranteed) on one-year franchise tenders the past two seasons (which includes this season at $23.9 million after walking away with $19.9 in 2016).

The Rams are banking on the 31-year-old McVay (the youngest head coach in NFL history) to develop Goff into a franchise quarterback. Goff started the team’s final seven games of the season last year and completed 112-of-205 passes for 1,089 yards and a  five-to-seven touchdown:interception ratio during that stretch.

Los Angeles did add weapons for Goff to help expedite the second-year pro by bringing in former Buffalo Bills wide receivers Robert Woods (signed by the organization to a five-year, $34 million ($15 million guaranteed) contract in free agency), a USC Trojan; and former top-pick Sammy Watkins in a blockbuster trade last Friday.

Watkins is also looking to have a bounce back season in 2017 that is reminiscent of his second year in 2015; where he exploded on to the NFL landscape with 60 catches for a career-high 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games after a down year in Buffalo in 2016; where he posted career-lows in catches (28), yards (430) and touchdowns (2) while dealing with a nagging foot injury that limited the former standout from Clemson to just eight games.

When healthy, Watkins can take the top off a defense as his career average of 16.1 yards per catch can attest, which should open things up for wide receiver Tavon Austin.

Austin, who is paid like the Rams’ No. 1 wide receiver at $42 million ($28.5 million guaranteed), doesn’t play like a No. 1. With the additions of the Woods and Watkins on the outside, the 5-foot-9, 174-pound Austin can now flourish in the slot and be utilized in the similar fashion that the 5-foot-10, 178-pound DeSean Jackson (now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) was utilized by McVay in Washington.

The Rams also added skill players via the NFL draft, utilizing three of their first four picks on tight end Gerald Everett, and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds that will give Goff or third-year backup quarterback Sean Mannion (18-for-25 for 144 yards against Dallas) more options to look to in the passing game.

Kupp had fumble recovery on the Rams’ first drive of the game for a touchdown and could be a fixture in the Rams’ offense by Week 5 as coaches have salivated over his route-running ability. The former wide receiver from Eastern Washington is arguably the greatest weapon in Football Championship Subdivision history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, setting all-time records in total receptions (428), receiving yards (6,464), and receiving touchdowns (73).

Kupp finished his senior season as the best wide receiver in FCS in 2016, hauling in a conference-leading 117 receptions, for 1,700 yards receiving and 17 receiving touchdowns.

Third-year running back Todd Gurley is still the bell-cow for the Rams.

As a rookie in 2015, Gurley carried the ball 229 times for career-highs in rushing yards (1,106) and rushing touchdowns (10) in 13 games, but dipped a bit in his second year out of Georgia. Although Gurley played all 16 games in 2016 and finished with a career-high 278 carries, Gurley had only 885 yards rushing and six touchdowns to go along with a career-high 327 receiving yards.

Defensively for Los Angeles, veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips brings 39 years of coaching experience to Southern California and help McVay’s transition as a first-time head coach almost seamless. Phillips was the defensive coordinator from 2015-16 where he help guide Denver to their third Super Bowl championship in franchise history in 2015.

In 2016, Phillips’ defensive unit finished tops in the league in pass defense and yards per play.

Fourth-year defensive tackle Aaron Donald highlights the Rams’ defense. Donald was selected to his third-consecutive Pro Bowl in 2016 after recording eight sacks and 62 tackles while playing in all 16 games.

The glue to the Rams’ defense, Donald is currently holding out for a new contract that will make him one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in football. Recent reports have Donald threatening to extend his holdout into the season, which would cripple the Rams.

After Saturday’s game, the Raiders will travel to Dallas for their third preseason game against the Cowboys; and the Rams will return home to take on the Chargers in the “Battle of Los Angeles” or what my mentor likes to call the game, the “Carson Chargers” vs the “Inglewood Rams” at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Both games will be on Saturday Aug. 26th at 7:00 p.m. PT.

 

 

 

San Francisco 49ers Podcast with David Zizmor: Broncos connection with Mike and Kyle Shanahan coming to Levis Stadium Saturday

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Former NFL coach Mike Shanahan watches during the San Francisco 49ers’ organized team activity at its NFL football training facility in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, May 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By David Zizmor

SANTA CLARA–The Denver Broncos who visit Levis Stadium on Saturday night bring a little connected history as former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan and his son San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan have that relation in common with the Broncos. Mike coached in a number of places in the NFL including being offensive coordinator for the 49ers and being former head coach for the Oakland Raiders and had tumultuous relationship with former Raider owner Al Davis which resulted in a lawsuit but is best remembered as the Broncos head coach.

Leaving the Raiders Mike ended up with the Denver Broncos who were quarterbacked by John Elway in the twilight of Mike’s career with Elway and Terrell Davis and with a strong offensive unit. Mike coached that team to the Super Bowl and got a couple victories for Elway. For a long time people were going with former Miami quarterback Dan Marino who was a great quarterback but couldn’t win a championship. Elway got over that hump with Shanahan and he got over it twice. Mike Shanahan will be watching his son Kyle coach his first home game as head coach of the 49ers Saturday night something he will be proud about.

David Zizmor does the San Francisco 49ers podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

 

 

Sports Headlines Podcasts with Tony Renteria: North and South Korea have to get it together politically for Olympics by winter 2018; Cal AD Williams leaving sports program

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The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images

August 16, 2017 | 09:45AM PT

On the Sports Headlines Podcast with Tony:

1 The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in South Korea. With political tensions being what they are by then will North Korea and South Korea have a better understanding or will it be the same ole same ole and it should be interesting for the North athletes as it would be for their hosts in the South hosting them.

2 San Francisco 49ers linebacker 33 year old Elvis Dumervil said that 22 year old cornerback Rashard Robinson is the best corner in the NFC West and Dumervil said that he’s even better than the Seattle Seahawks Richard Sherman.

3 Cal Bears  Athletic Director Mike Williams is leaving Cal in May 2018 and Williams said he loves the university but he’s the interim AD and feels that after fulfilling his two year agreement with Cal it’s time to leave and the university will need to find a permanent AD

4 Oakland Raiders safety Karl Joseph who got hit by the Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson came off knee surgery and a foot injury from last season should be back in the line up this coming Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum when the Raiders host the Los Angeles Rams

5 The Raiders Marshawn Lynch after sitting for the national anthem last Saturday in Arizona may draw more company. Lynch pretty much did it in protest for much of the same reasons former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did it but with Trump’s remarks regarding Charlottesville this past week Lynch got a lot of support from his teammates and there is expected to be a few more players to sit down for the anthem this weekend

Tony Renteria does the Sports Headlines for http://www.sportsradioservice.com each week