Australia: Sleep Science

Reading more into some sleep science, I am not convinced the 49ers are making the correct choice vs the Rams with the Australia trip. At least based on the National Library of Medicine, arriving within 24 hours, the Rams will avoid having to adjust to the new time zone as that adjustment peaks around 48-72 hours. The 49ers will have adjusted to local time as they will be 7 days early. However, the game is 10:35AM local. Peak physical body performance is late afternoon. The 49ers will be playing at a 10:35AM physical body clock, while the rams will be playing at a 5:35PM body clock. Plus, they won’t be jet lagged on return never having adjusted. 

Science Direct provides the counter argument and backs the 49ers strategy. Maybe acclimating to the climate is more important than trying to avoid the jet lag - same reason they practiced in Colorado before the Mexico City game. Australia has opposite seasons as us, so it could be smart. I like the extra time for team bonding. I guess we'll find out soon enough which is the better approach.

Nick's Notes and observations from #49ers practice No. 9:

- Coach Kyle Shanahan is very close to being back at full speed. He came out to practice today at 10:26 am and was on the field for the whole thing. He's still not quite calling the offense and standing in his usual spot but he's getting there as evidenced by his surprise media session after practice. - The entire coaching staff was wearing Roger Craig No. 33 shirts in honor of the legendary running back as he goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today. - The only new name added to the list of non participants in practice on Saturday: LB Luke Gifford. It's unclear why he didn't participate but he did some work on the side. - The full list of those missing practice today: Gifford, OL Nick Zakelj (elbow), DE Nick Bosa (soreness), OL Carver Willis (concussion), WR Jacob Cowing (hip flexor strain), FB Kyle Juszczyk (broken finger), OL Brett Toth (concussion), WR Christian Kirk (calf), WR Mike Evans (quad), S Malik Mustapha (hamstring), RB Kaelon Black (adductor), RB Jordan James (rib), DL Keion White (adductor), OT Vederian Lowe (ankle) Players on PUP: TE George Kittle (achilles), RB Isaac Guerendo (pec), DL Mykel Williams (ACL) - Once again, many of these guys were doing some sort of work on the side. Evans looks close to full strength and Shanahan said Evans probably feels like he can be back now but they want to be smart with him. - WR De'Zhaun Stribling and LB Dre Greenlaw were back in team drills in varying capacities after easing back in from a hamstring and soreness the other day. - Some notes from one-on-one pass rush drills: RG Dominick Puni looks like he's ready to take another big step forward and potentially set himself up for a nice pay day. He had excellent reps against DT Osa Odighizuwa and Gracen Halton. ... Colton McKivitz shut down DE Romello Height on the first rep of practice then did it again later. They ran it back and Height jumped offsides twice before finally getting past McKivitz with a nice spin move inside... Rough day for DT CJ West, who seemed to be struggling to keep his pads low. He came up out of his stance a bit high a few times and didn't generate much push on a few of his reps, including one where C Jake Brendel handled him well... Brendel also had a good rep against Sebastian Valdez... Rookie DTs James Thompson Jr. and Bryson Eason and Odighizuwa and got the better of Connor Colby... Drake Nugent had a couple of solid showings against Thompson and West... Still no Alfred Collins here, though he's been plenty involved in team periods. And no one-on-ones for Trent Williams today (though he usually only does one rep anyway). - Score one for the defense today, bouncing back after the top offense had torched it a couple of times during the week. - CB Upton Stout led the way with a couple of big plays. First, he had a diving pass breakup near the goal line on a pass from QB Brock Purdy intended for Demarcus Robinson. Later, Stout jumped a throw for Robinson, picked it off and returned it for a touchdown. Stout even did a front flip into the end zone to cap it off. - CB Deommodore Lenoir, who has had his share of pass breakups in this camp finally got his hands on one with another pick (and possible return for a TD?) on another throw from Purdy for Robinson. Seemed perhaps Purdy tried to squeeze some tight ones into Robinson and it just didn't work today like in recent practices. - LB Fred Warner had an impressive pass breakup on a layered throw over the middle intended for Jordan Watkins. Warner also recovered what appeared to be a fumble early in the first period of team though it was unclear what exactly happened from my vantage point. - DB Nate Hobbs flashed some play making today with a bit more work in team. He had a pair of pass breakups in the red zone, one on a throw for Watkins froM Mac Jones in the corner of the end zone (there was an offside penalty called here) and another on a throw over the middle from Adrian Martinez. - DT Gracen Halton had a nice run stuff against Patrick Taylor Jr. right before Stout's pick-6. Collins got his hand up and batted down a Kurtis Rourke pass. - The Niners did a lot of mixing and matching today on offense. There were times where the top OL worked with QB Kurtis Rourke and other QBs were in with different lines. Perhaps made things a bit more disjointed for the offense. - It wasn't all bad on that side of the ball, though. Had Purdy at 15-of-22, including a tight window TD in the red zone to TE Luke Farrell, who continues to be a favorite target for Purdy in this camp. Purdy also hit Farrell on a deep throw up the seam and hit WR Trenton Irwin on a deep ball early in practice as well as a nice job moving in the pocket and finding Christian McCaffrey for a big gain over the middle. - Stribling was back in the mix in team and making an impact again, catching balls from multiple quarterbacks on multiple routes for multiple sizable gains. Shanahan referred to Stribling picking things up in a hurry in his presser and it continues to look like -- if healthy -- Stribling could have a fairly extensive role early on. - The running back situation behind McCaffrey has no clarity right now because Black, James and Guerendo are out. Nothing against the others that are getting reps there but this is such a prime opportunity for one of those young backs to plant the flag as RB2 and it's just not happening because of injury. Perhaps some will return next week because the path is there. - The Niners are off tomorrow but we will have some access to assistant coaches. Will pass along some notables that come from that session and then right back to it next week with the Titans coming for joint practice on Tuesday and the preseason opener on Thursday.  

Dynamic Balance

 Seems Brock prefers shotgun and feels like we operate out of it much more than we used to. Could be it affects how the running game hasn't been the same too.

Nick's Notes #8

- Once again, coach Kyle Shanahan was on the field for almost all of practice and keeps getting more involved each day. As QB Mac Jones noted after the session, Shanahan is "inching closer" to his usual spot on the field. That's an indication he's also inching closer to being back to full duty. - The Niners had their Dwight Clark celebration Thursday. That's usually reserved for August 7 in honor of Clark's jersey number but with only a walk through tomorrow, they had it today. Former Niners TE Brent Jones was in attendance and spoke to guests about Clark's legacy. - On the injury front, the only new addition to the list from yesterday was OL Nick Zakelj, who injured his elbow in practice Wednesday. The full list of those missing practice today: Zakelj, DE Nick Bosa (soreness), OL Carver Willis (concussion), WR Jacob Cowing (hip flexor strain), FB Kyle Juszczyk (broken finger), OL Brett Toth (concussion), WR Christian Kirk (calf), WR Mike Evans (quad), S Malik Mustapha (hamstring), RB Kaelon Black (adductor), RB Jordan James (rib), DL Keion White (adductor), OT Vederian Lowe (ankle) Players on PUP: TE George Kittle (achilles), RB Isaac Guerendo (pec), DL Mykel Williams (ACL) - LB Dre Greenlaw (soreness), WR De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring) and DT Osa Odighizuwa (soreness) were in pads and easing back in today. They did some individual but not much in team periods (Osa did a little it seemed). Saw Stribling doing some running at or near full speed during team drills. Greenlaw was again watching from behind the defense during team. - DE Sam Okuayinonu was back and participating after he was shaken up late in practice yesterday. - Many of the Niners on the injured list were doing full workouts and conditioning on the side. Evans was doing some running and Guerendo continues to look like he's close to a return from PUP. - One roster move given the injuries on the interior OL: The Niners signed OL Kion Smith and waived WR Colton Dowell. - Rookie DT Gracen Halton continues to make a strong first impression. The guy has a lot of juice with a quick first step and short-area burst paired with some powerful hands that seem to catch OL off guard. He had impressive 1v1 wins against Robert Jones, Connor Colby and Jake Brendel. And then made some plays in team periods also. Halton also isn't afraid to express his passion, often letting out a yell after making a play or winning a 1v1 rep. Fresh legs help but this is also what he flashed at Oklahoma. It's early and he needs to do it against someone else but it's not hard to envision a role for him on third downs early as a rookie. - Other notes from 1 on 1s today: RT Colton McKivitz just continues to be rock solid in his spot. Did well against Romello Height on a pair of matchups... Same for Dom Puni, who Chris Foerster clearly thinks has the makings of a guy ready to take another step forward in year 3... Austen Pleasants had a good rep against Okuayinonu when Okuayinonu seemed to have him beat with a spin but Pleasants recovered and walled him off... CJ West showed off his powerful hands and ability to re-direct them in a good rep against Colby... Rookie Enrique Cruz Jr. has had some rough reps in these, including one against Igbo Okoronkwo today. After, Foerster spent some time with Cruz giving him some pointers... Still intrigued to see undrafted DT James Thompson Jr. against another team. There's some tools to develop there in the rookie out of Illinois. - For the second day in a row, the story of team drills was QB Brock Purdy and the top offense. They had the rough outing earlier in the week and have responded with a pair of excellent practices. Purdy was 13-of-14 on Wednesday and 11-of-14 today. That included three of his best throws of camp: deep balls perfectly placed for likely TDs to WRs KhaDarel Hodge and Malik Turner and then a crosser to WR Deebo Samuel who had Deommodore Lenoir in excellent position in coverage but the ball was in the one small window where Samuel could get it. The first play of team was a rope to Demarcus Robinson for a big gain, too. Credit to Purdy and Co. for the bounce back. I asked DC Raheem Morris what he's observed about Purdy being up close with him for more than a week now. His answer: "The Layer King has some really intensive intensity and I like that about him," Morris said. "Today he got fired up, which was cool, which was fun, which is competitive. And I love that. And when he does those things, it just makes the team go." - CB Jack Jones finds a way to make a play in practice nearly every day and did so again today. He jumped in front of a crosser from Mac Jones for Jordan Watkins for an interception. It wasn't an easy one, either, as Jones tapped it to himself with his right hand then hauled it in. - Another day with the 1s at LG for Robert Jones, who is going to get a good look there it seems. Connor Colby ran with the 2s and 3s again, including on the right side. And Pleasants got some more work at guard, too. My early read: The Niners are going to have to keep looking for the best option for LG. Not sure that person is on the roster, though the concussion for Carver Willis is unfortunate because he might have been able to force his way into the conversation. - WR Demarcus Robinson continues to quietly have a nice camp. Said it before but a dependable wideout who has the versatility to play any position usually finds his way on to the roster. - Some pressures/potential would-be sacks today in team from Height, Okuayinonu, Odighizuwa. Run stuffs from Halton, West, Height, Thompson and Jaden Dugger, among others. - S Ji'Ayir Brown forced a fumble by TE Luke Farrell after a completion from Purdy with CB Renardo Green scooping it up and returning it. LB Luke Gifford nearly intercepted Jones on a throw for Deebo. Lenoir was in tight coverage to force one of Purdy's incompletions and Purdy's final pass of team for Farrell was a bit long though it seemed Farrell got his hands on it and had a chance to make the play. - Dugger got some work with the top defense today as the Niners continue to find ways to deploy him. Morris explained the "fever backer" position in his defense and what he wants and it sounds like something a guy with Dugger's versatility could fit. That's also true for Height and Nick Martin. As preseason goes on, that should clarify a bit how often the position is used and who they envision handling it the most. - Haven't seen or heard much from Nate Hobbs in this camp. He's been out there but hasn't been super involved in team of late. Perhaps still working his way back to football shape but others asserting themselves in the DB competition in the meantime. - Rookie CB Ephesians Prysock is stringing some good practices together. Looking forward to seeing him against another team. Sounds like Morris is, too. - Niners have walkthrough tomorrow and then a full practice Saturday before a Sunday off. Soon enough, we'll be to next week and joint practices with the Titans.  

Nick's Notes #7

Notes and observations from 49ers practice No. 7: - By the end of Wednesday's practice, the Niners had 20 players (including the 3 on PUP) not participating because of injury. In 2024, they had 23 not practicing when they canceled joint practices with the Saints. Chris Foerster says that's not something that's come up to him with the Titans for next week, though it could have been discussed elsewhere in the building. Don't think the Niners are super concerned that the injuries they have (aside from Pearsall) are long term but they still need to have enough healthy bodies to handle the rigors of joint practices. - The full list of those missing practice today: New additions: DE Nick Bosa (soreness), LB Dre Greenlaw (soreness), DT Osa Odighizuwa (soreness), OL Carver Willis (concussion), WR Jacob Cowing (hip flexor strain), FB Kyle Juszczyk (broken finger), OL Brett Toth (undisclosed). Shaken up in practice: OL Nick Zakelj, DE Sam Okuayinonu Previously disclosed: WR Christian Kirk (calf), WR Mike Evans (quad), S Malik Mustapha (hamstring), WR De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring), RB Kaelon Black (adductor), RB Jordan James (rib), DL Keion White (adductor), OT Vederian Lowe (ankle) PUP: TE George Kittle (achilles), RB Isaac Guerendo (pec), DL Mykel Williams (ACL) - For the record, many of these guys, including Evans and Kirk did some work on the side, including some full speed running. Guerendo and Mustapha, in particular seem to be close to back. Greenlaw also seemed to be fine as he got a bit of a rest today with soreness. He watched practice from the defensive back field. - Coach Kyle Shanahan continues to be out around his normal time (10:47 today for those keeping score) and handling more and more. Not quite fully back but still seems to be trending the right way. - The Niners released DT Kevin Givens and DL Cam Sample and signed DL Ogbo Okoronkwo and WR KhaDarel Hodge. - Niners had enough OL and DL to do some one-on-ones today... Halton's fresh legs showed up here a few times, including a really strong rush against Zakelj and a solid one against Robert Jones. His quickness and burst is evident. Just a matter of staying healthy and getting much needed reps... Okoronkwo also has some fresh legs and had a nice power rush against Enrique Cruz Jr., who has struggled in this drill... Good day for Sebastian Valdez both in one on ones and in team. He gave Connor Colby some problems here then had success in team... Austen Pleasants took a rep or two at right guard here which is unusual. Foerster indicated he wanted to move a handful of OL around in these drills but the injuries messed up those plans. Presumably, Pleasants got to move because of that... CJ West showed his power a few times, including against Jones and Zakelj, though Jake Brendel had a good rep against him... Romello Height is made for this drill in some ways. His first step and bend impresses nearly every time. Will need to expand his bag (and maybe it's already there) a bit but the tools to be effective in obvious passing situations seem apparent. He had a good rep against Colton McKivitz who has otherwise been stout in these. - Speaking of the offensive line, Jones got his first crack at running at left guard with the 1s today with Colby getting reps with the 2s and 3s. Foerster said he hoped to get Colby some work on the right side and had all kinds of plans to move the pieces around a bit but injuries to Toth and Willis scuttled that. Not sure this means a big change in the plans but worth noting and following. - DT Alfred Collins got his first extended work in team periods after returning from PUP last week. Haven't seen Collins in 1v1 yet but a step forward for him, especially with Odighizuwa not participating today. - With Greenlaw watching, Garret Wallow got a look at the weak side linebacker spot. Also, Nick Martin was supposedly shaken up last open practice but he was on the field today seemingly no worse for the wear. - A really good practice for QB Brock Purdy despite musical pass catchers. Had him at 13-of-14 (he had another one broken up by Lenoir but looked like a would-be sack first) on the day and the one incompletion could have been a flag as LB Garret Wallow either perfectly timed or was a bit early on a throw to RB Christian McCaffrey. Some highlights from Purdy: Escaped pressure from Height, rolled to his right, got a good block from TE Luke Farrell and dropped one in the bucket to McCaffrey over the middle for a big gain... In a three-play red zone sequence, he threw a TD to Patrick Taylor Jr. on a ball that was perfectly placed low and to the left where only Taylor could get it as Ji'Ayir Brown closed in from the other side then ran for a score on a designed run and finished by rolling out and finding Junior Bergen for a touchdown. He capped practice finding WR Jordan Watkins deep down the left side for another score in move the ball. - Farrell hasn't proved much of an option in the pass game since his arrival but he was very involved on Wednesday. Had him down for five catches, all from Purdy, including three in the move the ball period to set up Watkins' TD. Jake Tonges has been more involved, too, and with all the injuries at WR, it's clear Purdy has a level of comfort with the TEs that can pay dividends. - Watkins is putting together a nice camp and Purdy has faith in him but he also has had some go through his hands that he probably should have had. A good opportunity right now for him to carve out a role given all the other injuries. The good outweighs the bad, just needs a bit more consistency. - Foerster said McCaffrey and LT Trent Williams are on a rep count in this camp, as you'd expect. But he also tipped his hat to them for being at practice every day and setting a tone for the young players. Both were their usual, productive selves on Wednesday. - Best defensive play of the day came when CB Jack Jones jumped in front of a pass from Martinez to deflect it into the waiting arms of LB Jaden Dugger. Dugger caught it and returned it for a would-be pick-6. - Among the other defensive highlights from team drills: Okuayinonu got some pressure and a would-be sack but if it wasn't, Lenoir had yet another PBU. Darrell Luter Jr. had a nice pass breakup on a throw to the end zone for Demarcus Robinson from Martinez. West burst through for a run stuff on the first play of team. LB Fred Warner snuffed out a run for McCaffrey early in that period, also. Halton stuffed Khalil Herbert with a quick move in the first period for the 3s. A nice PBU on a throw for TE Brayden Willis, was hard to tell but I *think* it was Siran Neal who knocked it away. LB Jalen Graham also had a nice read and run stuff against Sincere McCormick. CB Ephesians Prysock with sticky coverage to deny a deep ball from Kurtis Rourke for Wesley Grimes. - The Niners are back at it tomorrow after AC/DC plays Levi's tonight. In the year 2026, I wouldn't think they still move the needle enough to have concerts at a place as big as Levi's but here they are. Can only respect it for a group that's been doing it for more than five decades. Shoutout to them.  

Getting An Edge

Veteran EDGE Ogbo Okoronkwo is signing with the 49ers today, per Fowler. A 2019 fifth-round pick, he has 17 sacks in his 81-game career (13 starts). Played one game and suffered a torn triceps last season with the Eagles.

81 Career Games 17.0 Sacks 132 Tackles 31 Tackles for Loss 38 QB Hits 4 Forced Fumbles

3T Expectations

 Osa Odighizuwa has generated 32 pressures when double teamed since the start of 2024, 2nd most in the NFL.

Odighizuwa's 9.1% pressure rate on those pass rushes is 3rd highest in that span (min. 200 double teams).