Golden Nuggets: The Predicament of the Punters

Good morning everyone!

Only a few more weeks left in the season for us to see just what we have going into the off season with the players and coaching staff. I do agree we are starting to see some good things out of this 49ers team. My only concern is if this can carry over into next season. The Bengals will be a very interesting test of how the 49ers can endure competitive teams, and I'm hoping for some good things out of them against the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns are looking for something too. They want to see how Johnny Manziel does against teams like San Francisco in the interests of keeping him around next season. Personally, I think the Browns should look to how Johnny Manziel does off the field, because on the field, if you look at his abysmal game last year and his performance this year, it's like apples to oranges and you have to assume he can continue to improve. Off the field, the kid is a head case, and the 49ers went through their own version of this with Aldon Smith. If Manziel continues to show potential at the very least, I think you give the guy another shot, but his off field issues and maturity are definitely a concern at this point. In any case, there's a lot of things to evaluate in this game for both teams, and it will be an interesting game to watch, regardless of record, that's for sure.

Let's get to the links:

Matt Maiocco and Tim Kawakami for an interesting podcast that we featured earlier today: My "TK Show" conversation with CSN Bay Area 49ers Insider Matt Maiocco: On Jim Tomsula, possible staff changes, Paraag Marathe, the leaks and more

Colin Kaepernick is back on Instagram: Colin Kaepernick calls out Donald Trump and anti-Muslim remarks (49ers webzone.com)

Antoine Bethea may be inactive on the field, but he's active for his charity toy drive: 49ers S Antoine Bethea to Host Charity Toy Drive (49ers.com)

An interesting conversation surrounding one of the many question's we'll have once the season ends: Will the 49ers fire Jim Tomsula? (Lynch)

Here is your injury report: 49ers TE Vance McDonald ruled out, Torrey Smith questionable vs. Browns (ESPN)

An interesting look at the rift between fans at Levi's Stadium: Generational split may be emerging over acceptance of Levi’s Stadium (Eric Lynch)

Boldin Becoming Gabbert's Go-To Guy (Doug Williams)

If you aren't wondering about the possibilities of rookie tackle Trent Brown, you should be: 49ers’ Rookie RT Trent Brown Improving Each Week (Sakamoto)

Looks like Bethea and Tartt will be going at it in training camp: 49ers’ SS Antoine Bethea: "I’ll Be Ready By OTAs."

What a horrible night to have a curse...