Friday, November 5, 2021

Franchise Running Back

 The 49ers may have found their starting running back for at least the next 4 years or more. Watching Mitchell run in Detroit behind Trent Williams was something to behold. My eyes told me their was something special about this 6th round rookie out of Louisiana.

“There was a play, it was probably the third run of the game in the first quarter, inside zone to the right. And it wasn’t blocked premierly so, he had to just get downhill, and he ran into Trent’s back,” McDaniel told reporters Thursday. “And Trent was like, ‘I haven’t been hit that hard by a running back since Adrian Peterson.’ So, there’s some stuff to his game that the more he plays, the more you realize that he’s a special young player and there’s a reason why he’s having productivity.”

Do you believe the 49ers found their franchise running back?




32 comments:

  1. It seems they really like him, so if he can catch passes, I'll say yes.

    If they think of him that way, they should try to get something for Sermon imo. Perhaps another good question would be, what they could get in return? A fifth rounder? It would admit failure but given their draft history they might be able to turn that into a baller.

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    1. Word on the street during training camp was fumblitis, and so the coaching staff lost trust in Sermon.

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  2. He has everything going for him - does he have longevity? Seems like the Niners can't keep a running back healthy for any length of time.

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    1. The way he can have longevity is by reaching out to a player like Adrian Peterson and learn how to take care of his body.

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  3. I think they have a good RB in Mitchell. I don't think he is special, but good enough to be the feature back in this offense.

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    1. His specialty thus far to this laymen's eye is when he lowers his shoulder into the first tackler, that tackler goes backwards.

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    2. Yeah, he is pretty good at getting yards after contact.

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  4. I have to say I am pretty encouraged by how open Aiyuk has been about what he was doing wrong. That suggests he accepts responsibility and wants to learn. For a little while there I was getting worried he was becoming unreceptive to teaching.

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    1. Scooter
      Didn't watch the Bears game, but from highlights it looked like Aiyuk had a better game.

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  5. All the 9er 2021 draft picks who get little, or no reps.
    Round 1: No. 3: QB Trey Lance, KS decision to not play him.
    Round 2: No. 48: G Aaron Banks, Hurt, does he fit KS ZBS?
    Round 3: No. 88, RB Trey Sermon, fumbles the ball Round 3: No. 102: CB Ambry Thomas,
    Round 5: No. 155, G Jaylon Moore, Try him at RG? Round 5: No. 172, CB Deommodore Lenoir, S/B starting RCB
    Round 5: No. 180, S Talanoa Hufanga. Paying due to injuries

    To date, with the exception of RB Elijah Mitchell, the 9ers have received little production from their 2021 draft picks


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  6. Sounds kinda like they're leaning towards putting Ford going on IR.

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  7. I know a lot of people are anti OBJ, but man, may as well just put a waiver in for him. Only $1M against the cap for whoever claims him.

    He only has to be content for half a season.

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    1. Also worth keeping in mind that depending on the way the contract restructure with the Browns was done, he would either be a tradeable asset in the offseason or count against the compensatory formula (if the restructure includes removing years to make him a FA at season end).

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    2. Do you really want to put a diva in that wide receiver room with Aiyuk, just when they got him pointed in the right direction? My initial feelings were a no, but I don't know, know him and I'm pretty certain Shanny does. Tbd.

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    3. Thing is, he consistently has good things said about him by his teammates, and is known to be a hard worker. He's a diva, but more on account of wanting the ball than anything else. Jerry Rice was the same.

      As I said, you only need to keep him content for half a season. I don't think you'd need to pander too much to him in that time frame. It's more an issue keeping him happy longer term.

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    4. Now hearing that OBJ will actually cost $7M+ to whichever team claims him, so restructure wasn't as significant as first believed. At that cost it is a pass - 49ers can't fit him in without roster moves.

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    5. Scooter, pretty sure that $7 million price tag was OBJ's doing. He doesn't want to be claimed. He wants to pick his destination.

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    6. Yeah, that's what I have heard - Browns wanted to push it to signing bonus but OBJ didn't to make it less palatable for a tram to claim him on waivers. Makes sense.

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  8. We don't need another T.O on the team. When Owens didn't get his way he sulked and threw tantrums, and even inferred that his QB might have been gay. The 49ers have a good locker room culture and having a known team sideline disruption could set the team back.

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    1. Strong locker rooms can handle those personalities.

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    2. Scooter / Razor I read somewhere the 9ers were #12 on the list to claim OBJ. Likely some team lower on the list will claim him first?

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    3. GEEP, as above, the price tag makes claiming him pretty impossible for most teams.

      In terms of teams higher in the waiver claim list, keep in mind he is a one year rental. Not much value for a team without playoff hopes to bring in a one year rental. Especially given he would just be a malcontent for any bottom feeder club claiming him and preventing him from going to a potential SB winner this year.

      I think it is a pretty high likelihood he clears waivers.

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  9. About Kinlaw, so he had an ACL "reconstruction," which I read is a replacement of the old ACL with a new one, either from the patient's body or a cadaver. I don't know if this is encouraging or not. But it would appear this had nothing to do with arthritis or bone-on-bone, as some were fearing.

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    1. Here's a link to an article about ACL recontruction:
      http://rebalancemd.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ACL_Reconstruction_Recovery_Guide.pdf

      From the article:

      "How will my knee recover after ACL reconstruction?

      Recovery from ACL reconstruction is a slow and gradual process.
      During the first few months after surgery, you will focus on getting over the pain and swelling of the operation and making sure that the knee gets all of its movement back. The next few months will focus on getting the leg stronger - but in a safe way to protect your ACL reconstruction. Returning to activities before the knee is ready will cause the new ACL to tear and the reconstruction will fail. Returning to pivoting sports takes at least 6-9 months.

      Around 80-90% of people are able to return to all the sports and
      activities that they were doing before their ACL injury. There is a risk of developing osteoarthritis ('thinning of the cartilage') in the knee after tearing the ACL. This is often related to other injuries in the knee, such as cartilage tears.

      Around 5-8% of people who have their ACL reconstructed will go on
      to tear that same ACL again. Around 5% of people who tear their
      ACL will go on to tear their other ACL."

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    2. I hate to say it but I fear Kinlaw will never be able to live up to his draft status due to his knee issues.

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    3. I remember thinking the same thing regarding Armstead. He turned out alright, but Kinlaw has his work cut out for him.

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  10. Around 65 percent of lineman return to play after an ACL. Assuming Kinlaw does, the data show no difference in-game performance upon return. This all hinges on him not having degenerative changes in his knee at the time of his surgery.

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  11. Ford to IR and Kerr released.

    On the plus side, no longer need to worry about how poorly Kerr has been playing.

    Man, before the season started the prevailing wisdom was the DL was about 12 players deep and they could trade backups that could start elsewhere. Boy were we wrong. Turns out the depth behind the starters is quite poor.

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