Category: San Francisco 49ers

49ers look to bounce back in home opener vs. Lions

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By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers will get their season on track on Sunday, as they will host the Detroit Lions in their first home game of the year.

However, as was the case most of last season, the team is dealing with a multitude of injuries at key positions, following an opening-week 24-16 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, a game that saw Jimmy Garoppolo throw three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

The 49ers got a little thinner at the linebacker position this week, as they placed Brock Coyle on the injured reserve/eligible to return list. According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, he had not only a concussion in the team’s opening week loss to Minnesota, but he also suffered a T-4 compression fracture in his back.

Coyle will be out at least six weeks, and at that point, he is expected to be able to resume football activities. Beyond that, his timetable for return is uncertain.

Meanwhile, fellow linebacker Malcolm Smith did not practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the preseason. Among the others who did not practice were receiver Marquise Goodwin (quadriceps), guard Joshua Garnett (toe) and safety Adrian Colbert (hamstring).

All of them are listed as questionable to play Sunday against the Lions, whose injury report is not nearly as long as that of the 49ers. Guard T.J Lang (back) and tackle Andrew Donnal (knee) were both held out of practice on Wednesday.

Just like the 49ers, the Lions are still licking their wounds after a tough loss in Week 1. However, the Lions were more decisively beaten at home Monday night against the New York Jets. Just like Garoppolo, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford had his bouts with interceptions. The veteran threw four to the other team, including one that was returned for a touchdown in a 48-17 rout.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Raiders might quit Oakland due to city’s lawsuit; 49ers just ran up against very good team in loss; Chair umpires call for boycott of Serena matches

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On the Headline Sports with London:

#1 The City of Oakland plan to sue the Oakland Raiders for financial impact loss to the city. The Raiders have said if the city continues with the suit, the team will pull up stakes and find a temporary site to play until their new stadium is ready.

#2 There was a lot of expectation on the Raiders on Monday night and a lot of hype on the return of head coach Jon Gruden and the trade of star Khalil Mack going into the regular season, but Oakland took a convincing 33-13 loss to the LA Rams on Monday night.

#3 How badly was the loss to the Minnesota Vikings for the San Francisco 49ers 24-16? Did Jimmy Garoppolo show promise despite the loss?

#4 Tennis chair umpires are calling for a boycott for future matches with Serena Williams. Tennis officials are upset due to the lack of support for chair umpire Carlos Ramos that umpires said Williams labeled Ramos a sexist, a thief, and owing Williams an apology for violation calls. But tennis chair umpires point to her unsportsmanship-like conduct in her U.S. Open match.

#5 Wild card races have the Oakland A’s and the New York Yankees most likely heading to a one-game playoff at the end of the regular season. The A’s have won five straight, but looking ahead-how do you see this one-game match up possibly in New York between the A’s and Yankees?

London Marq does the Sports Headlines each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: How much of a let down will this loss be for Garoppolo going into Week 2?

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On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 The perfect record of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at seven straight NFL wins and five straight 49ers wins came to an end on Sunday with a 24-16. Talk about the pressure to win for Garoppolo and to keep that win streak going.

#2 Garoppolo was 15-33 for 261 yards, but three interceptions. What was the break down in Garoppolo’s game and how the interceptions play a role in being a monkey wrench in the 49ers’ offensive game?

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

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Was umpire being sexist against Serena at U.S. Open?; Did Cleveland know Donaldson was damaged goods before obtaining him?; plus more

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On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary:

#1 Do you believe if Serena Williams during the U.S. Open was thrown off her game because of getting hit with an illegal coaching call, abusing a racket, and verbally abusing an umpire? Was the umpire being sexist with his calls against Serena?

#2 Williams was hit with a $17,000 fine ($10,000 for verbal abuse, $4,000 for coaches violation, and $3,000 for racket abuse). Should umpire Carlos Ramos have given warnings before installing each violation against Serena?

#3 Josh Donaldson’s agent said that he was that he was not offered a multi-year deal by the Toronto Blue Jays before being dealt to Cleveland. Also, Donaldson was reportedly damaged goods before coming to Cleveland.

#4 First in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves have some hitters at top of of their lineup with Ronald Acuna Jr .293, Freddie Freeman .306 and Nick Markakis .309. The Braves are playing in S.F. this week in their bid to win the NL East.

#5 Amaury talks about whether there was too much pressure and hype on 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garopplolo to win the opener in Minnesota and continue his five-game win streak.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish radio talent; is the MLB Hispanic Heritage Museum Hall of Fame vice president, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers Lose to Vikings 24-16; Fail Season Opening Test

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By: Joe Lami

Jimmy Garoppolo is no longer undefeated as a starter in the NFL, as the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Niners 24-16.

Injuries, missed opportunities, bad timing, and turnovers from the 49ers assisted Kirk Cousins in his Viking’s debut. Minnesota’s new quarterback went 20-of-35 for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

He found success with Minnesota’s most dangerous targets, Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook with each of them bringing down six catches. Thielen finished the day with 201 yards receiving, while Cook had 55 yards catching out of the backfield

Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph each caught a touchdown. ‘

The 49ers are prepared to go into scramble mode thanks to injuries with several key pieces going down, including Marquise Goodwin, Joshua Garnett, and Mike Person.

Person and Garnett both went down with foot injuries, while Garnett’s appeared to be extremely serious needing a cart to assist him off the field from a non-contact play.

Goodwin attempted to return from his quad injury for the entirety of the game, as he was seen jogging and warming up on the sideline numerous times. Fortunately, the injury to Garcon seems to be the least severe of the three.

The Niners also missed opportunities the entire game. Pierre Garcon and George Kittle both had critical drops that would’ve led to touchdowns. Garcon was in the end zone, while Kittle’s was on a deep ball down the left sideline.

The drop ended up costing the Niners immediately, as Garoppolo threw his first of three interceptions. Rookie, Mike Hughes will remember his first interception for a long time, making a great play on the ball and jumping a Kenrick Bourne route for a pick 6 extending Minnesota’s lead to 17-3.

Earlier in the game, the Niners put together an eight-minute drive but once again the red zone offense completely shut down, eventually fumbling the ball on the one and giving the Vikings all of the momentum.

Despite everything that went wrong for the 49ers, they still hung in there until the very end. That is until Garoppolo started throwing interceptions, marking the first time in his career he’s thrown three in the same game. It just also happens to be his first loss as a starter.

San Francisco did have a few bright spots in all of the darkness. Tight end, George Kittle had five catches for 90 yards, though he’ll be remembered in this one for the wide-open drop.

Deforest Buckner appears to be an absolute beast in the pass rush. He was able to get to Cousin’s 2.5 times for sacks while recording 3 tackles for loss and seven total tackles.

Third round draft pick, Fred Warner not only was named a starter, but the linebacker was incredible. Having one of the best games out of any rookie, Warner started hot for the 49ers. In the first 20 minutes of the game, he recorded seven tackles and a forced fumble that Richard Sherman eventually fell on. He finished with 12 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble.

Sunday was a great measuring stick for the 49ers. Going up against one of the best defenses in the league and a team that made it to the conference championship game last year proves what this team is all about.

Kyle Shanahan was not kidding when he said that this team can go out and have a legit chance to win any game they play this season. We’ll see if they can finally strike gold at Levi’s next Sunday against the Lions at 1:05 pm PDT.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: Will the pressure be on Garoppolo to repeat last season’s performance on opening day Sunday?

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On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 How much anticipation rides on this Sunday’s game on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and his getting the 49ers off to a great start on opening day?

#2 Garoppolo won five straight games the last five games of the 2017 season. Knowing what you know going into this season what you saw of him in camp, how ready is Jimmy G to pick up where he left off?

#3 The 49ers suffered a huge setback with the injury of running back Jerrick McKinnon with a torn ACL in on contact practice. How will this injury impact the team?

#4 Other running backs Matt Bredia and Alfred Morris are expected to help carry the ball for SF with McKinnon’s absence.

#5 The Nike decision to run former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the face of their ad campaign has been embraced favorably by most of the players. Do you see the NFL taking the next step and allowing Kaepernick back into the league after making the statement regarding acceptance?

Joe Lami does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsrasdioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers preview: New look 49ers get ready to roll

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mercurynews.com file photo: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo talks with the media on June 13th at Levis Stadium. Garoppolo will start opening day this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As the 49ers prepare to kick off the 2018 regular season, the expectations and the anticipation are completely different from a year before.

Of course, winning the last five games of the previous season, with a new, young quarterback at the helm, has a tendency to raise the excitement a little bit.

That’s what the 49ers are experiencing, as they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings to start the regular season. Of course, most people know about the acquisition of Jimmy Garoppolo, and the new signal-caller responding by winning the first five games he started for his new team.

But they have also added a few new pieces on defense over the past couple of years, which will add to an improved unit.

There have been a few bumps in the road, however. The 49ers suffered a major setback last week, when running back Jerick McKinnon suffered a torn ACL in practice during a non-contact drill, meaning that the back, whom the team signed this offseason to a four-year contract, will miss the entire 2018 season.

That opens up the opportunities for the other running backs exponentially. Matt Breida and Alfred Morris, whom the 49ers signed in training camp when McKinnon and Breida suffered injuries early on in the preseason, are expected to split the carries early on, but it is unclear who will be the team’s starting tailback.

Second-year linebacker Reuben Foster, who spent some time out of the lineup with a nagging shoulder injury last year, is suspended for the first two games of this season stemming from his domestic-abuse case this spring.

That means guys like Brock Coyle will get more of a chance to see what he can do, particularly when the games count.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Shanahan’s plan in preparation for opener in Minnesota

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Photo credit: @SteinyAndGuru

On the 49ers podcast with David:

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers head into Minnesota this Sunday for the 49ers’ opener. David discusses the team’s preparation and the advantage of playing in Minnesota in September rather than the frigid months of December

Going into the opener David takes a look at 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garopplolo’s preparation and will he come out of the shoot against the Vikings defense this Sunday?

Catch David each Tuesday for the 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: Mullens and Heneghan show they can play some backup quarterbacks in final preseason game

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On the SF 49ers podcast with Joe:

The 49ers, who were in their final preseason game, didn’t grow their injury list and the quarterbacks showed improvement. Quarterbacks Nick Mullens and Jack Heneghan threw for offensive drives in the 49ers win over the LA Chargers 23-21. Heneghan threw for a score a little more than two minutes left in the game.

Towards the end of the game, the 49ers’ defensive line allowed a kick return that put the ball in the 49ers zone, which happened after the go-ahead score. The 49ers opened the season in Minnesota on Sunday, Sept. 9. Joe sets up opening day and how confident head coach Kyle Shanahan is going into this one.

Joe Lami does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers rally late, but fall to the Chargers 23-21

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Photo credit: @49ers

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA – The best thing you can take out of the final preseason game of the year for the 49ers is this: the injury list did not grow, and for the most part, the quarterbacks showed flashes of brilliance.

Signal-callers Nick Mullens and Jack Heneghan got plenty of burn in Thursday night’s 23-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi’s Stadium, and each of them certainly gave solid accounts of themselves in the process.

Each guy led the 49ers on long, time-consuming touchdown drives and gave their team a chance to win, particularly when Heneghan drove the team down for a score that gave the 49rs the lead with a little more than two minutes left in the game.

In the end, however, the 49ers’ run defense let them down, as did a big kick return that put the ball in 49ers territory immediately following the go-ahead score.

The 49ers did feature a handful of starters, including Solomon Thomas, who made a pair of big tackles for losses on the first drive of the game before taking a spot on the sideline for the rest of the night. Linebacker Reuben Foster, meanwhile, blew up a screen pass for a huge loss on the Chargers’ second possession. Three plays later, the 49ers forced a punt.

Foster played considerably longer than Thomas, as he is facing a two-game suspension that starts next Sunday. On the offensive side, lineman Joshua Garnett played into the second quarter, but no other starters took the field on Thursday.

C.J Beathard started the game and played one series but accomplished next to nothing in the process. In fact, he did not attempt a single pass. Mullens, on the other hand, was able to build on his game-winning performance in the first preseason game against Dallas with another very good effort on Thursday.

Mullens did have to suffer through some pains early on, getting rocked by a pair of blindside hits in his first two possessions, and the second one – by defensive end Chris Landrum – forced him to cough up the ball, and Los Angeles took over deep in 49ers territory.

However, the 49ers defense stood up to the challenge wonderfully, and the Chargers were forced to kick another field goal to give them a 6-0 lead.

He settled down very nicely immediately following the turnover. He made a handful of nice throws and extended plays when the protection broke down during a 75-yard drive that he punctuated with a six-yard touchdown plunge to give the 49ers a 7-6 lead.

The Chargers, however, took advantage of the 49ers’ soft run defense and ended the first half by punching it in for a score, after going 73 yards on 10 plays to go in front, 13-7. Los Angeles added another touchdown early in the second half, shortly after Jeremy McNichols fumbled and gave the Chargers the ball on the 49ers’ 10.

The 49ers marched it deep into the red zone late in the third quarter but were stopped on fourth-and-one at the 2-yard line.

Heneghan responded in the fourth by leading the 49ers down the field, and when McNichols plunged into the end zone with a little more than two minutes left, the 49ers had a 21-20 lead.

That lead, the 49ers’ only one of the game, did not last. After the Chargers returned the ensuing kickoff into 49ers territory, they converted a pair of first downs before Roberto Aguayo kicked a 26-yard field goal as time expired.

The 49ers head to U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the Vikings on Sunday, September 9 at 10 am PDT.