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On the 49ers podcast with David:
#1 How important is it for the 49ers to take advantage of the four forced turnovers in their 31-17 win on Sunday in Tampa Bay?
#2 Talk about the game ejection of Kwon Alexander and the helmet to helmet hit on Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston. Alexander said it was not intentional.
David does the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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By: Joe Lami
The Niners defense forced four turnovers on Sunday, more than half of their 2018 total, as they earned their first victory of the season 31-17 over Tampa Bay. The defense carried the weight in the win, outscoring the offense 2-1 in the touchdown department.
San Francisco’s new-look defense appears to be running on full steam by the time the second half rolled around where they would see two pick-sixes from Richard Sherman and Ahkello Witherspoon. The updated front seven created chaos for Jameis Winston, picking up three sacks on the Bucs’ QB.
Winston struggled, finishing 20 of 36 for 194 yards and one touchdown.
Rookie Joey Bosa picked up his first career sack while getting three QB hits, and three tackles. Bosa was fooled early in the contest by Winston in the pocket but said postgame that it was a great learning experience.
While the defense deserves praise, the offense still has a ways to go. Jimmy Garoppolo was good enough to earn the win, throwing 18 of 27 for 166 yards, a touchdown, and a pick-six. His favorite target was George Kittle who carried the most of the weight with eight catches for 54 yards. He would’ve scored a touchdown early in the first quarter, but it was called back via penalty.
Penalties cost both teams dramatically, taking away a combined five touchdowns. The Niners were whistled 11 times for 87 yards, taking away three touchdowns and killing multiple drives.
The Niners rushing attack was mediocre, fueled by Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida, and Tevin Coleman. Mostert got the blunt of the workload in the second half trying to put the game away. He finished with nine carries for 40 yards, while Breida got 15 carries for 37 yards.
Coleman’s 49ers’ debut was cut short, as he went down with an ankle injury after getting six carries for 23 yards. He’s scheduled for an x-ray on Monday.
Garoppolo’s lone TD came on the opening possession of the second half, finding Richie James Jr. from 39-yards out down the left sideline. It was James’ first career score.
Sherman earned his third career pick-six immediately following James’ score, giving the Niners a 20-7 lead. It also marked his first interception in the red and gold, as the former all-pro was shutout last season.
The unsung hero was backup linebacker Mark Nzeocha, who blocked a punt and had an interception. Nzeocha entered the game when former Bucs’ linebacker Kwon Alexander was ejected for targeting Winston.
Witherspoon’s first career touchdown put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, making it 30-17 with 2:01 remaining.
The victory is a huge morale boost for San Francisco. Much of the off-season was dedicated towards adding to the pass rush and forcing more turnovers. They did just that in the win. The Niners will now extend their road trip, with a matchup against the 0-1 Bengals next Sunday at 10:00 a.m. PST.
Photo credit: buccaneers.com
On the 49ers podcast with Joe:
#1 There has been so much speculation on 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to get it done. He said this past week that he’s throwing an incompletion intentionally.
#2 Garoppolo is in the second year of his $173.5 million contract. That’s a lot of expectation for that amount of money.
#3 Everybody is looking for Jimmy G after his ACL injury. There is so much expectation on Garoppolo, but Garoppolo says he can fill the bill and is anxious to get the season underway.
#4 Injuries, injuries plague the San Francisco lineup. Tackles Daniel Brunskill and rookie Justin Skule have not played a down last season. The big loss is Shon Coleman to a leg injury. 49ers general manager John Lynch says that Coleman’s the key guy at the tackle position and that’s a void that’s going to hurt the team.
#5 Lastly, head coach Kyle Shanahan says that Garoppolo hasn’t played a lot of games and he said it was a shame that he missed most of last season. Shanahan said this is an opportunity for Garoppolo to show what he’s all about and wouldn’t it be surprising if he can get them in the postseason.
Join Joe Lami each week for the 49ers podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: sacbee.com
By Jeremy Harness
The 49ers will head to Tampa to open the season, against a beatable opponent in the Buccaneers, but there a few things that will need to be answered.
The first thing is whether or not the defense will be better. On paper, it appears they are poised to make a big stride. The 49ers drafted defensive end Nick Bosa with the second overall pick, but he missed all of the preseason with a high ankle sprain. However, he practice in a limited fashion Wednesday and appears to be on track to play Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, free agent pickup Dee Ford, a fellow pass rusher, practiced in full on Wednesday, and he is expected to be on the field to face the Bucs offense.
With these two on the field, the 49ers pass rush should be considerably better than it was in 2018, but now it’s time to show it on the field.
The 49ers have bolstered the running back position in the offseason by picking up Tevin Coleman, and as it turns out, he will be counted on more than was expected at the beginning of training camp.
That’s because Jerick McKinnon, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, suffered a major complication with the same knee, and he has since been placed on season-ending injured reserve, meaning that the man the 49ers so coveted will go two full seasons without playing in a single regular-season game.
The team still has depth at the position, with Coleman and Matt Breida expected to split the carries, while Raheem Mostert, who had a breakout game against Oakland last season before breaking his forearm in the same game, will back them up and is expected to play mostly on special teams.
The 49ers have more injury issues, as receiver Jalen Hurd is dealing with a back problem, and he has been ruled out of Week 1 and could miss a few more weeks. Receiver Trent Taylor will also be out of Week 1, as he is nursing a foot injury.
Center Weston Richburg (knee) and receiver Dante Pettis (groin) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, but their status for Sunday’s game is uncertain.
Photo credit: mercurynews.com
On the 49ers podcast with David:
#1 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said he threw bad passes for incompletions intentionally. Is that something that is believable or something just to keep the press quiet about his misses during some of the practices?
#2 Is it totally crazy to consider New England quarterback Tom Brady to become a San Francisco 49er? This is what Brady friend and former teammate Chris Long wrote about in the August edition of Sports Illustrated and the idea is still reverberating today.
David Zizmor is a co-host for Sportstalk podcasts and does the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: mercurynews.com
On the Headline Sports podcast with Barbara:
#1 For the Cal Bears, getting a victory on opening day last Saturday was an important way to start the 2019 season with a win over UC Davis at Memorial Stadium and what a way to start with running back Christopher Brown Jr. rushing for 197 yards to help lead the team to a 27-13 win.
#2 The Stanford Cardinal defeated Northwestern, but the Cardinal lost their starting quarterback during the game when KJ Costello took a forearm to the head. The Cardinal hung onto win it 17-7. Costello could muster only one strong drive before the injury. The Cardinal are on the road next week to face the USC Trojans next Saturday.
#3 The San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took Thursday Night Football off last week and the 49ers went with three quarterbacks: Nick Mullins, CJ Beathard, and Nick Speight. Speight and Beathard both saw the most time in the game with Mullens resting. Is that an indication that Nick Mullens, who saw limited time will be the backup, and head coach Kyle Shanahan wants to see if Beathard or Speight will fill the third-string spot?
#4 The Oakland Raiders look as if they had a very solid preseason winning three of their four games. Raider head coach Jon Gruden said he’s happy with the progress of backup quarterbacks Nathan Peterman (out with elbow injury) and Mike Glennon who he’ll really depend on if starting quarterback Derek Carr ever needs a rest.
#5 The Oakland A’s are hosting the LA Angels and Detroit Tigers this week at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s are 1/2 game back in the AL wild card behind second place Cleveland. It could go right down to the wire for a chance of a wild card birth.
Join Barbara for Headline Sports each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
sfgate.com photo: San Francisco 49ers’ Jeff Wilson Jr. (41) scores against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019.
On the 49ers podcast with Joe:
#1 It’s only preseason but on Thursday Night Football, both teams were clawing and scratching to get a win in a game that the San Diego Chargers had a three-point lead 27-24 on the San Francisco 49ers. How impressed were you with the work the 49ers put out?
#2 The 49ers used Wilton Speight, C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens at quarterback. Was head coach Kyle Shanahan just trying to get confirmation on whose going to be the backup and evaluate who really looks good in the final preseason game?
#3 Wilton Speight threw for 51 yards going 6-13. Does he have a shot to make the team in some capacity?
#4 CJ Beathard went 6-9 for 58 yards and one touchdown and Nick Mullens went 1-3 for 13 yards. The numbers don’t say much, but it’s most likely these two will wind up being starter Jimmy Garoppolo’s backups.
#5 Talk about running back Jerrick McKinnon’s ACL tear — that will be his third setback during his recovery. The 49ers signed him for $30 million.
Joe Lami does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
sfgate.com photo: San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard rolls out to pass against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019.
By Jeremy Harness
SANTA CLARA – The 49ers lost their final preseason game of the year, 27-24 to the Los Angeles Chargers, but really, the night was about guys trying to make the team getting one last chance to put some good tape out there.
One of those guys is running back Jeff Wilson Jr., and on Thursday, he ran like he wanted that roster spot. He was the focal point of the team’s second drive, and to cap it off, he made an almost Walter Payton-esque cutback across the field to his right and got a kinda-sorta block from quarterback C.J Beathard on his way to a 41-yard touchdown that gave the 49ers a 7-6 lead near the end of the first quarter.
One quarter later, he also made a nice catch of a pass from Beathard that was at around his knees and was also behind him and converted it into a first down.
After an opening-drive field goal for the Chargers, D.J Reed Jr. took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 56 yards into Charger territory. Reed, who is a backup corner, is thought of as a guy who can play multiple corner positions – outside as well as in the slot – and with his special-teams playmaking ability, that should bolster his chances of making the 53-man roster that will suit up in Tampa for Week 1 of the regular season.
Dre Greenlaw is another guy who flashed on Thursday, and looks like he has solidified his spot on the team as a linebacker. After Damontre Moore whiffed on a sack attempt early in the second quarter, Greenlaw tracked Chargers quarterback Cardale Jones down and stood him up for a five-yard loss, to go along with a very nice open-field tackle on the first drive of the game.
Otherwise, the 49ers’ defense looked listless in the first half, regularly giving up chunk plays down the field before the Chargers were able to punch it in from point-blank range, eventually taking a 20-7 lead late in the second quarter.
The one things that has kept Kendrick Bourne from securing a spot on the roster has been his case of the drops, and that showed up the first time he was thrown to on Thursday, as he ran a nice crossing pattern but let the pass clank off his hands, taking away a first down.
However, he cashed in on the next opportunity he got, with a minute left in the first half. As Beathard eluded the Charger rush, he overthrew his intended target. But like a good backstop, Bourne was there to make a sliding catch in the end zone, the 21-yard touchdown cutting LA’s lead to 20-14.
NOTES: Prior to Thursday’s game, the 49ers released linebacker Malcolm Smith, who had spent most of his tenure with the team on the sidelines with assorted injuries, most notably a torn pectoral muscle that kept him out for the entire 2017 season.
The team also waived offensive linemen Willie Beavers and Dillon Day. The 49ers turned around and signed corner Chris Campbell, running back Brandon Wilds and receiver Nick Williams, who had a pair of catches in the third quarter.
UP NEXT: The 49ers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1:25 p.m. Game will be broadcast on FOX.
Photo credit: @49ers
On the 49ers podcast with David:
#1 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 188 yards, a touchdown for 14 completions out of 20. It was a game that was called Jimmy G’s on track game after struggling the first few weeks of preseason. Garopplo has looked much better in camp.
#2 The 49ers signed former Arizona Cardinal cornerback Chris Campbell, the 49ers waived offensive lineman Dillion Day, the 49ers will be without Jason Verett, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Richard Sherman for Thursday Night Football against San Diego.
Join David for the 49ers podcast each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: mercurynews.com
By Jeremy Harness
The 49ers will play one more preseason game before it’s time to go for real, but don’t expect the starters to be anywhere but the sidelines on Thursday.
The preseason finale, which will pit the 49ers against the Los Angeles Chargers, is really all about the guys who will make one last push to make the team’s 53-man roster, as the final cutdown will take place this Saturday.
There are reportedly a few notable names that are on the bubble to make the 49ers’ final roster, including receivers Jordan Matthews, Richie James and Kendrick Bourne as well as linebacker Malcolm Smith.
Matthews struggled in his last few years with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles, and was signed by the 49ers as a free agent this offseason. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has been open in expressing how impressed he has been with the veteran pass-catcher’s showing in training camp.
He would otherwise be a lock for the 53-man roster, other than the fact that he does not stand out on special teams, as a backup receiver should. However, if he has a great outing on Thursday, there is no reason to believe that he will not be suiting up come Week 1.
Bourne came on during the second half of the season, but he has had a continued issue with the drops, which will be crucial in deciding exactly how many wideouts the 49ers want to keep. Marquise Goodwin, Dante Pettis, physical running back-turned receiver Jalen Hurd, highly-touted rookie Deebo Samuel and Trent Taylor all seem to be locked on to the final 53, so that apparently leaves either one, or maybe two, spots.
Smith has been nonexistent for much of his two years with the 49ers, and a lot of that has to do with assorted injuries, a bug that started in his first training camp with the team, which resulted in a torn pectoral muscle that saw him miss the entire season.
It hasn’t gotten much better for him since, and he was nowhere to be found during his preseason debut last week at Kansas City. The 49ers may keep him around as a locker room influence – he has been to two Super Bowls, including a win over the Denver Broncos that saw him return an interception for a touchdown – but his lack of production may force the team to pull the plug on him.
But this much is certain: There will be a lot of tough decisions to be made in the two days following Thursday’s game.
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