Golden Nuggets: Thursday Night Football

Niners football is one day away. The team arrived in Baltimore on Tuesday to play their 1st preseason game Thursday and to participate in joint practices with John Harbaugh's Ravens. There are a few players that stand out as players to watch for in this game. On the offensive side of the ball, Carlos Hyde is the top player to watch for in my opinion. The 1st team will not play more than a series or two, but Gore is unlikely to see any action. It's Frank Gore! Why does he need preseason? So with that, Hyde should start with the 1st team as well as get additional work with the backups. It will be good to see his game speed and his vision finding the running lanes. With LMJ and Hunter out, he is the primary backup for Gore. We need to see him in game action. The other offensive players that should be watched are Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington. It's an almost lock that Crabtree, Boldin, and Johnson are the top WRs. But who is the #4? The vet Lloyd is a solid WR, but not a lock. These 2 receivers could make a name for themselves with a good preseason game on Thursday.

On the defensive side, there are a few players that will interesting to see. Jimmie Ward is an obvious choice, but Chris Borland is a very interesting choice. He will play a good amount of the game when Patrick Willis exits very early on. It will good to see how he handles pass coverages being undersized for a LB and how well he is at finding the ball. Okoye and Dial will also be good to watch. The defensive line as a whole as been receiving praise this whole training camp, but with injuries, these 2 could see a lot of work on Thursday.

49ers Links

Kap's Disability Policy (Florio)

Niners To Have 3 Practices With Ravens (Maiocco)

No risk! He goes back on IR | Risk In Waiving Hunter? (Maiocco)

Video Of The 5 Ints From Yesterday (49ers Video)

I'm really liking the thought of the Bethea/Reid partnership | Bethea Leading The Secondary (Williams)

He'll get 2 series at most | Kap's Playing Time For 1st Preseason Game (Maiocco)

Patton Shining (Williamson)

49ers Contract Situations (Lynch)

Jim's Son Forging Own Coaching Career (Wilner)

Specialists Check Out New Digs (Pentis)

Observations Before Team Leaves For Baltimore (Price)

Team Heads To Baltimore (Barrows)

Competition will only make the team better | Competition Leads To Tension (Corkran)

The stadium is beautiful. Just fix the traffic and public transportation | Reactions From Levi's Stadium (Emerick)

Tired of seeing the play clock at 1 before we snap the ball | Simple Offense Leads To Quicker Calls (Kroichick)

Day 11 Report (Williamson)

So much more than 10 | 10 Players To Watch For Thursday (Barrows)

Hunter Clears Waivers (Corkran)

Brrrruuuuuccccceeeee | Healthy Bruce Is A Great Thing (Williamson)

Unlikely To See New Offense Thursday (Biderman)

Hopefully he wins. It's a lot of competition | Patton Fighting Thru The Competition (Kroichick)

Santa Clara Learns About Parking/Traffic Issues (Purdy)

Will the 49ers hit the jackpot in the secondary for a 2nd year in a row? | Fangio On Ward (49ers Radio)

Scuffles Due To Position Battles (Barrows)

Reed Hopes To Catch On (Branch)