Blog

The Niners are Alive and Well!

by

REDNGOLD_aliveandwell

(UPDATE: Listen here for the 49ers Edition of The Grueling Truth Podcast with myself, former 49er Dexter Carter and special guest 49er beat writer Ryan Sakamoto)

While the media and many fans figured the San Francisco 49ers were headed for a 4-12 season, the Niners ignored everything and showed everyone that they’re not going away.

The first quarter didn’t go very well, despite a good opening drive. The blocked field goal and the Jarryd Hayne fumble definitely gave fans the feeling like maybe all the media predictions were going to end up to be true.

Nobody told Navorro Bowman and the defense. All they did was go out and completely shut Minnesota down in every way. Adrian Peterson was held to 31 yards on 10 carries. Teddy Bridgewater was under pressure much of the day and only converted one 3rd down conversion. It would be the defense that set the tone and gave the offense time to adjust and settle down.

Read more

49ers vs Vikings Preview

by

REDNGOLD_49ersvsvikings_preview

With the tumultuous offseason officially in the rear-view mirror, 49ers fans can finally focus on the regular season. The official 53-man roster has been named, as well as the practice squad, and the depth chart is, for the most part, known.

As far as the preseason goes, there were a few things 49ers fans can take away from it, like the emergence of Jarryd Hayne in the return game (who accumulated half as many return yards this preseason than the 49ers did ALL OF  LAST YEAR!), Mike Purcell, and of course, the return of Navorro Bowman.

According to Torrey Smith, the 49ers were definitely holding back on offense with the starters in the Preseason, so there is still unrest among The Faithful because the high amount of unknowns going into the regular season.

Let’s get to the preview:

Read more

3 Observations from the 49ers/Texans Game

by

REDNGOLD_texans_banner

49ers Football is back! As the game unfolded, there were definitely expectations for the starters and what it ultimately boils down to is, everyone who cheers for the 49ers wants to see quality football and a win.

Last Saturday’s game did not feature a high-powered offense or a stifling defense, but that was not the goal. Coach Jim Tomsula did not game plan to beat the Texans, but rather, was looking to evaluate the second and third strings.

Here are three observations or take-aways from the first preseason game:

Read more

The Three Most Important Training Camp Battles

by

REDNGOLD_3_promo_banner

As training camp looms near for the San Francisco 49ers, there are going to be several excellent position battles. Here are the three most important:

1) Right side of the offensive line

Candidates – Alex Boone, Marcus Martin, Joe Looney, Brandon Thomas, Trenton Brown and Erik Pears

With the surprising retirement of Anthony Davis, the right tackle position is now up for grabs and fortunately for the Niners, there are a couple good candidates to take the job.

The most likely replacement for Davis is veteran Erik Pears, the 49ers’ free agent pickup this offseason.

Read more

What Will the Defensive Line Look like in 2015?

by

REDNGOLD_2_promo_banner

There have been a lot of theories as to what the defensive line will look like for the 2015 San Francisco 49ers. The bad news is, many in the media are pessimistic due to the losses on a very steady unit from the past four seasons.

Justin Smith retired after his left shoulder, which gets the brunt of the contact playing on the right side of the line, “didn’t respond” the way he wanted it.

Ray McDonald was released and is now likely out of the league.

The good news is, there is a very deep group of promising young players poised to step in and make their mark.

glenndorsey

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee has suggested that Glenn Dorsey will take over for Justin Smith on the right side on base downs and will be replaced by Tank Carradine on nickel downs. He also believes Quinton Dial will start on the left side and standout nose tackle Ian Williams will resume his starting role in the middle.

This is a very plausible theory as Dorsey is very versatile and can play both end and tackle. Dial has good size and seems to be a good fit on the left side on base downs, especially against the run.

So where do the rest of the guys fit in and do any of them have a legitimate shot to start?

Read more