49ers vs. Texans Pre-Season Live Blog

 Welcome to the third and final pre-season game of the 49ers. The plan this evening is to play the starters for more than a few series before entering a two week wait to begin their season. The Trey Lance era is upon us!

My question is will the 49ers work Mason in with the starters or will they attempt to hide him?

*Broncos signed Gemmel, another 49ers linebacker.

Preseason Game 2 Review: 49ers @ Vikings

By Scooter_McG 

The 49ers had a good opportunity to test themselves against another competitive roster this week as their preseason took them to joint practices with the Vikings. The week culminated in a week 2 preseason matchup between the two teams, with the 49ers coming away with their second win of preseason. 

I think it is fair to say the 49ers got a lot more out of the two days of joint practices than they did from the preseason game. At least I certainly hope they did. Both teams sat out 27 players - combined the two teams had more than one full 53 man roster sitting the game out. Among those inactives were almost all of the offensive and defensive starters for both teams. 

The most interesting part of this game was probably the guys the 49ers had active, and then of those active who saw the field early and who late. Only three 49ers presumptive starters suited up in Javon Kinlaw, Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford. 

Kinlaw saw action on the 49ers first three defensive drives with his last play of the day being an impressive 3rd down sack where he beat the OG with a nice swipe move and then used his strength to push past the lineman and chase down the QB. Aside from that play Kinlaw had only one other snap where he was 1-on-1 and also won that one handily, and spent the rest of his snaps being double teamed and holding his ground. All in all a nice display from the 2020 14th overall pick. 

Banks and Burford meanwhile played the entire first half. Neither player stood out in either a good or bad way, which usually means they were just fine. But the team also struggled to create big running lanes and they had a number of issues with quick pressure up the middle, though this was usually a result of Keaton Sutherland getting blown past. 

Aside from the three presumptive starters that played, here is what stood out to me:

• Sudfeld really looked very comfortable and showed good decision making, pocket awareness and movement. He looks much better than previous backups like Beathard and Mullens. Holding onto him to be the backup QB is looking like a smart move.
• Purdy had a couple of plays he'd like back, but he was also impressive for the most part. As much as Sudfeld has shown he should be the backup I doubt the team will want to lose Purdy either. 
• Add in the confidence Lance has exuded throughout camp... Brian Griese and Klay Kubiak, take a bow. 
• Aside from Banks and Burford, the other starting OL was not good. The good news is, none of those players are likely to make the roster. 
• Sermon, TDP and Hasty all saw action throughout the first few series. Sermon once again struggled to get much going in the running game, but again it didn't look like a Sermon issue but an OL issue. Hasty had a little bit more success and seems better than Sermon at making something happen if nothing is there. TDP had a rough start to the game and looked indecisive at times, but later took the bulk of the carries at the end of the first half and to start the third quarter and had some decent runs. 
• Jennings seemed to get more action early in this one than in the first preseason game but the drop issues he's had in practices also showed up in this game. Jennings night didn't last long though as he didn't see much action after the first few series. McCloud also seemed to have a pretty light load in this game. With Deebo and Aiyuk held out, those four look to have wrapped up the top WR spots. Danny Gray also started but played into the second half - he should be a lock to make the roster but looks set to begin the year as WR5.
• The 49ers backup DL (plus Kinlaw) had the Vikings QBs under a lot of pressure throughout the first half. Interestingly, the starting DEs were Omenihu and Willis, with Drake Jackson rotating in, while Turay didn't see the field until the 4th defensive series when Alex Barrett also started seeing some action. That doesn't usually bode well for making the team, though it is also possible that the team is thinking forward about roster cuts and potential opportunities to trade a player like Willis or Omenihu. Either way, both Willis and Omenihu helped themselves in this one generating a number of pressures, while Jackson also had some nice plays including the pressure that led to Odum's INT. 
• Tarvarius Moore looked good at safety, but aside from that the secondary was at best ok through the first half. Defensive pressure up front hid some issues at the back end. Lenoir, Castro Fields and Odum in particular I thought had some trouble getting lost in coverage during the first half.    

49ers vs. Vikings Pre-Season Live Blog

 Welcome to game 2 of the pre-season for the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers plan tonight is to play mostly backups in this game. The opportunities will be there for those who choose to sieze them, and I'm excited to see who steps up their games. 

Preseason Game 1 Review: Packers @ 49ers

By Scooter_McG 

49ers football is back! The 49ers first preseason game of 2022 is now in the books, with the 49ers coming away with the victory 28-21 (for whatever a win in preseason is worth). 

Of course, all eyes were on Trey Lance in this one as he takes over the starting QB job in 2022.  Lance played the 49ers first two drives, leading the team to a FG in their first drive and a quick-fire TD in the second drive. On the first drive Lance looked fairly comfortable and decisive, but two of his three throws on the drive were off target (albeit one of the errant throws was still caught by Dwelley) with the last one to Gray on an out route also being a little late. But he showed good pocket awareness throughout the drive and smartly tucked the ball under quick pressure from the outside to set up a 3rd and 1 on the second play of the drive. 

The second drive was by far the more memorable. After a sack courtesy of a big whiff in protection by Skule, followed by a quick hitter to Sermon for a short gain, Lance ripped off a perfect pass down the left sideline that travelled more than 40 yards through the air to hit Danny Gray perfectly in stride for a 76 yard TD. All in all Lance would finish the day 4-5 for 92 yards and the TD, plus a 7 yard run, in a promising first outing.   

Aside from Lance, some other key things I took away from the game were - noting I paid far closer attention to the first half than the second when the bottom of the roster guys were on the field:

• The interior of the OL has been a big question mark throughout the offseason. But the starting combination of Banks, Brendel and Burford did a decent job keeping Lance clean and providing some space up the middle for the RB. It wasn't perfect, but the group definitely passed their first test. Of the backups along the interior, Jason Poe was the standout, demonstrating power to move his man and nice athleticism when asked to pull. 
• However, the OTs (with Williams not playing) had their struggles against both the pass and the run. In the first few drives any time there was pressure or a blown block in the running game, it was usually one of the OTs at fault. The good news for the 49ers is that it was mostly the backups that struggled and it should look a lot better with Williams at LT. 
• With Deebo and Aiyuk sitting out, Ray Ray McCloud and Danny Gray saw a lot of action in the first half and appeared to be in on more plays than Jauan Jennings who may be slipping down the pecking order. Both Ray Ray and Gray had a number of good plays during the half, including a TD each, though McCloud did also have a costly fumble at the end of the half that took an opportunity at a FG off the table. 
• At RB, with Mitchell and Wilson sitting, Trey Sermon got the start ahead of Ty Davis-Price. Neither player stood out, though Sermon did have some decent runs in the opening drive. His stats look a lot worse than his play warranted courtesy of a couple of plays being blown up through missed blocking assignments. The running game loosened up a bit in the second half, but that is to be expected. 
• One thing that stood out though was the team focused on running between the tackles rather than outside, and on the few occasions they did try to get outside they weren't able to do so. This has been a concern of mine and through one preseason game it remains a concern. 
• Sudfeld looked competent as the backup QB, taking what the defense gave him and generally making good reads. It wasn't anything dynamic, but he did enough to make you think if he is needed to step in for a game or two he could keep the team competitive. Purdy also looked the part but in a different way - he held the ball longer but showed nice ability to improvise and extend plays to find the open player.  
• Aside from the first drive, the 49ers defense struggled to stop the Packers offense from moving the ball in the first half. However, they did come away with a lot of turnovers. 
• For the most part the defensive line didn't generate a lot of pressure. But Drake Jackson was probably the pick of the bunch getting after Jordan Love and he made his presence felt a few times. Hopefully the shoulder injury he sustained after chasing Love down to the sideline is only minor, as he looked to have something. 
• I thought Kinlaw also looked good in his return from knee surgery. Powerful, quick and active that proved a handful for the OL on every snap. 
• All three of the 49ers starting LBs sat this one out. But Flannigan-Fowles, Burks and McCrary-Ball filled in admirably for the most part and each had opportunities to show off their athleticism. 
• With both starting CBs sitting out, it was Ambry Thomas and Ka'Dar Hollman starting with Demo Lenoir rotating in, while Dontae Johnson didn't play much until the second half. Hollman had a number of nice plays but also gave up a TD near the end of the half where he failed to locate the ball and stick with his receiver. Thomas was rarely tested but did give up one penalty for contact. The competition at CB behind Ward and Moseley is still in full swing. 
• Dennard may be the current starter at slot CB, but if Womack keeps playing like he did then it won't be long before he is the starter. He displayed sticky coverage and came away with two INTs - the first came as a result of fighting for the ball in the air and the other due to good awareness to undercut the route over the middle. 
• The likely winner in the battle between Moore and Hufanga to start at SS next to Jimmie Ward did not become any clearer, with neither player really standing out. Hufanga did have one nice hit on a running back, while Moore was easily burned for a TD when asked to to play press man against the slot WR in a cover-0 defense (a very tough ask), but overall neither player seemed to gain or lose ground in the battle.  

49ers vs. Packers Pre-Season Live Blog

 Welcome to the first football game of the 2022 season for the San Francisco 49ers!

53 Man Roster Projection

 

QB Lance/Sudfeld

RB Mitchell/TDP/Sermon/Wilson Jr.

FB Juszczyk

WRSamuel/Aiyuk/Jennings/McCloud/Gray/Turner

TE Kittle/Croft/Dwelley

OL Williams/Banks/Brendel/Burford/McGlinchey/Brunskill/Moore/McKivitz/Zakelj

DL Ebukam/Armstead/Kinlaw/Bosa/Jackson/Omenihu/Ridgeway/Hyder/Givens/Nkemdiche

LB Warner/Greenlaw/Al-Shaair/Burks/Robinson

CB Ward/Moseley/Lenoir/Dennard/Thomas/Wolmack

S    Ward/Hufanga/Moore/Odum

K   Gould

P   Wishnowsky

LS Pepper

*Verrett PUP

*Kalia Davis NFI

*Woerner PUP

*PUP players can now return after 4 games instead of 6 thanks to a rule change.

Observations from 9 days of camp reports

By Scooter_McG

The 49ers now have 9 days of camp practices in the books and, courtesy of some of the best local coverage in the NFL, that means we have an abundance of practice reports, tweets, videos and notes to digest. And digest I have; with each report I read I have come away thinking this has been the sort of camp every 49ers fan should be excited about. 

While Trey Lance understandably dominates the headlines, the highlights of camp so far have been Brandon Aiyuk and the defense. 

Aiyuk was a favourite to be a breakout star this season and so far in camp he has given every indication he is poised to do just that. Almost every day it appears he is making spectacular plays on the ball and giving DBs fits trying to cover him. As Aiyuk continues to make plays, the QBs trust in Aiyuk is increasing and they have been willing to put it up for him to go make a play on the ball, even when he isn't wide open. With the 49ers expected to be a run-oriented offense and Deebo and Kittle also on the roster it may be hard for Aiyuk to put up top tier numbers, but his emergence would give the 49ers three legitimate matchup nightmares for defenses and make it very difficult to shut down the 49ers passing game. 

The defense has been an excellent unit for three straight seasons so it comes as no surprise they have looked great in camp. What has been a little surprising though is how the back end has performed. The addition of Charvarius Ward has given the secondary two good coverage defenders on the perimeter, forcing the QBs to try and find open receivers over the middle where arguably the NFL's best coverage LB unit and the safeties led by Jimmie Ward have made life very difficult. With the play of the secondary it could actually be argued the weakest link on the defense is now the DL, and there are 31 other teams in the NFL that would be pretty happy to have the 49ers DL. 

The one area that has stood out as a concern through 9 practices is the OL. Trey Lance has been under a lot of pass rush pressure throughout camp. Two areas in particular have stood out as areas of concern along the OL - centre and backup RT. Brendel and Brunskill have been rotating at centre and neither player has risen to the occasion to lock down the spot as yet. At RT, McGlinchey has practiced sparingly as he returns from a serious leg injury. When he's been on the field he has apparently looked very good, but his backup Jaylon Moore has struggled and it has mostly been Moore at RT with the first team unit until his recent lower leg injury. I feel like the 49ers are misusing Moore, who I thought should have been battling it out with Burford for the RG spot. 

On the plus side, it looks like Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford have locked down the starting OG positions. Banks has received praise in recent practices as a player that has looked a lot fitter, faster and stronger than last season, and is improving with every practice. Burford meanwhile has been something of a revelation, with some of the coverage even suggesting he has been the best and most consistent OL through the start of camp. 

Other observations I have found of interest include:

• Talanoa Hufanga received a lot of praise early in camp and began camp as the starting SS. However, in recent practices Tarvarius Moore has been making a lot of plays and is now being worked in with the 1s as well. This looks to be one of the most hotly contested battles in camp along with centre and slot CB. 
• Speaking of slot CB, that's one position group that I haven't seen a lot of reports about. However, as far as I can glean it would appear that Sam Womack is very much in the thick of the battle there and has not looked out of place. 
• It also sounds like the 49ers may use more 3 LB looks this year, with Warner, Greenlaw and Al-Shaair on the field together a lot in camp so far from what I have understood. That's one of the benefits of having three athletic LBs that excel in coverage. 
• Elijah Mitchell is the undisputed starter at RB and has practiced like it, but Tyrion Davis-Price has looked very good since the pads went on. TDP has shown excellent strength and power, as was expected, but has received praise for his quickness and vision over the past few days as well. TDP has even been getting reps with the 1s and looks like he has solidified his position as RB2. 
• Trey Sermon and Jordan Mason have also been singled out for praise as players that are making the most of their opportunities. If they are both able to continue their strong start to camp, Jeff Wilson and JaMycal Hasty may struggle to find a spot on the 53. 
• Ambry Thomas has not picked up where he left off last season. He's getting targeted a lot by the QBs and for the most part those passes have found their mark. Some of it isn't the fault of Thomas and has just been very well placed balls against solid coverage, but some of it has been as a result of flat out getting beat. 
• Dropped passes have been an issue throughout camp. This is one area the 49ers skill position players need to do a better job to help their young QB out. Drops will happen, but they can't be happening during the season at the rate they have been in practice.  
• Drake Jackson started of camp slow, but since the pads went on he has consistently put out strong showings, displaying his combination of speed, agility and power. Like TDP, Jackson has been getting some reps with the 1s and looks like he is solidifying his spot in the rotation at edge. With Burford looking set to start at RG, and Womack in the thick of the battle at slot CB, the 49ers may see some decent early returns from this draft class.
• Danny Gray has mostly struggled so far in camp, and not had much success beating DBs with his speed. But day 6 of camp was Danny Gray day. He showed in that one day what the 49ers saw in him. He clearly needs some development time but the potential is there if he puts the work in.