Things are pretty quiet right now, and hopefully they will remain that way to a certain extent. I figure Fourth of July opens the door for some knucklehead behavior, but hopefully everything remains silent until rookies report for minicamp later next month.
In the meantime, I thought I would bring back the 49ers mailbag. We have had mailbags in the past, but other writers have put them together. And so today, I thought I'd put together one of my own. We'll do this off and on throughout the offseason. I put a call out on Twitter for questions, and will answer more of them in the near future. If you have a question you'd like me to discuss, drop it in the comments, and I'll add it in the future. I said questions could be football or otherwise, so here we go.
@NinersNation who has the most receiving touchdowns This season?
— Zach (@zachhernan) June 24, 2015
A year ago, Anquan Boldin led the San Francisco 49ers with five receiving touchdowns. The year before, Vernon Davis led the way with a robust 13 touchdowns. Michael Crabtree led the team in 2012 with nine receiving touchdowns, and Vernon Davis led the team with six in 2011.
The 49ers head into the 2015 season with arguably their deepest set of skill position players in some time. Do we see one player emerge, or do we see a fairly even spread of touchdowns? Torrey Smith finished tenth in the NFL with 11 touchdowns last season. He or Boldin are the easy picks. Smith's three seasons prior to 2014 saw him catch seven, eight and four touchdowns. Boldin caught 11 in 2008, but otherwise never had more than nine in a season.
And so, I'm going to go out on a limb and say Vernon Davis ends up leading the 49ers in touchdowns in 2015. He has twice had 13 touchdowns, and otherwise bounced between 2 and 7 in the other seven years of his career. Consider it a hunch I suppose, but I think the addition of Torrey Smith could open things up for Davis. My second choice would be Smith, and I think it is easy to figure him to be the team leader in receiving touchdowns.
@NinersNation Who is the favorite to start opposite Navarro
— KingSmoove (@LO_SMOOVE87) June 24, 2015
All indications at this point have Michael Wilhoite claiming the job. Philip Wheeler and Nick Moody seem to be getting the most additional inside linebacker reps, but I would be surprised if Wilhoite did not claim the job. The bigger battle will be for the reserve spots. Nick Bellore seems to be an exclusive special teams player, so he very well could be competing with Moody and others. My guess is Wheeler ends up as the primary backup, while Moody focuses on special teams, but is available in a pinch.
@NinersNation how do you use detergent, Clorox and softner when washing clothes, should I separate clothes based on color and material?
— ED M (@EdTGO) June 24, 2015
I keep things very simple. I use a basic detergent and then add fabric softener. I mix all my clothes (excluding those saying exclusively "dry-clean") and wash on the cold cycle. I know plenty of people that separate out their whites, or other specific types of clothes, but I go with the easy approach. I have generally not spent a lot of money on clothes, so I don't feel obligated to be careful with them. I'll hang some out to air-dry, but for the most part, I just wash and dry everything together.
@NinersNation What are some ways the offense will change under new coaching regime?
— Aaron_Ward (@SAE_Adub) June 24, 2015
This is one thing I am really looking forward to checking out this preseason. The change in coaching staff, and the additions of Torrey Smith and Reggie Bush potentially open the door for all sorts of adjustments. Whether or not Vernon Davis gets back to prior form, Smith brings deep speed to an offense desperately needing it. And if he and Vernon Davis are both on top of their game, we could see more verticals.
It also sounds like the team will get the running backs more involved in the passing game. There has even been talk of the screen pass, which is something we have not seen with any kind of regularity in at least four years. Bush and Hunter are two guys who could get even more actively involved with the passing game. I think this is one of the biggest changes we can expect.
The other notable change we can expect to see is some use of zone blocking schemes. I don't expect to see the team commit fully to ZBS, but we will see some measure of it. Joe Staley has mentioned that power will still be important, but we will see some measure of ZBS.
@NinersNation do you see the Niners using more no huddle to play to kaepernick's strengths?
— Zman (@akguard) June 24, 2015
I don't really think they need to go to more no-huddle for Kap to excel. I do think it is valuable to include some, particularly if the opposing defense is looking a little ragged. Jim Tomsula has emphasized tempo considerably, but I think that is as much about getting to the line quickly, as it is dealing with increases in no huddle offense. Do others think we see more no huddle this year?
@NinersNation do you think Brock will return to 2014 form and stay healthy?
— Tiny (@KingTiny81) June 24, 2015
I certainly hope he stays healthy, but unfortunately it is impossible to say for certain. He did not have injury issues before last season, so I am tentatively optimistic. And if he can stay healthy, I think he is a very capable cornerback who would be starting. If I set the over/under at 13.5 games played by Brock, I would be inclined to take the over at this point. What would others take?
@NinersNation Is Jim harbaugh coming back?
— King Bri (@BHugh_215) June 24, 2015
Sorry, nope.