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The San Francisco 49ers begin their month long tour in Arizona and return to practice on Thursday. Kyle Shanahan will speak Thursday afternoon and the Niners will have Brandon Aiyuk, D.J. Jones, and Jordan Willis back at practice.
49ers Overreactions: Is Niners’ pass protection worst in NFL?
Overreaction? Yes.
The 49ers certainly do not have the worst pass-blocking offensive line in the NFL. Period. Let alone, the worst by a long shot.
The 49ers have given up 27 sacks this season. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has been sacked 46 times.
The 49ers’ pass-blocking is probably around the middle of the pack in the NFL.
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey has probably gotten the most heat from the fan base. He is tied with three others among offensive tackles in the NFL with 23 pressures allowed, according to Pro Football Focus. He has allowed three sacks, eight hits and 12 hurries.
The Bay Area media seems to think Mullens is trash, too. Here was the first question a reporter asked Kyle Shanahan about Mullens during the post-game press conference: “Kyle, it seems that Nick Mullens has had a few floaters. Is there anything mechanical that’s going on with him? He has kind of overthrown a couple of guys, more than just like it seems like a one-off.”
This was after a win. Imagine if Mullens had lost.
Shanahan could have agreed with the reporter’s premise, but he went in detail to debunk it.
“He overthrew Jordan Reed on a double move, but the corner was bailing in three-deep (zone coverage), and (Mullens) didn’t really have a chance to see it,” Shanahan explained. “I think right when he threw it he got hit. But yeah, I think that was overthrown. If he could see it, I’d love him to progress and check it down or put it on Jordan more.
Bills are wearing white face masks against 49ers, and fans are going nuts
In a dramatic video reveal on social media, the Buffalo Bills will be wearing white face masks for Monday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, much to the delight of a large segment of the fanbase.
The post is headlined, “The Moment You’ve All Been Waiting For.”
The Bills most recently wore the white face masks for the Thanksgiving Day victory against the Dallas Cowboys last season. They went with blue jerseys and pants against Dallas; the Bills will be in all white against San Francisco.
“I really enjoyed my interaction with them,” McDermott said. “You could tell that they were headed in the right direction, just philosophically, how they wanted to do it, and I had a lot of respect for my interaction with them. And I thought it was a very positive interaction just in terms of that. Like I said, a very thorough approach by them, and a very long interview process there.
“Again, I think they came out with two candidates in Kyle (Shanahan) and John (Lynch), obviously, in what they’ve been able to do and build there.”
A day after interviewing with the 49ers, it was reported that the Bills were set to hire McDermott. The 49ers, as McDermott stated, eventually hired former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who has helmed the team since.
Added McDermott of Shanahan: “He’s one of the best coaches in the NFL.”
Cornerback Jaycee Horn mocked to 49ers at pick 16: Beat writers analyze the fit
Adding a first-round pick like Horn would fit nicely into that plan. In fact, his arrival would allow Moseley to move to nickel cornerback, the spot he’ll be playing in upcoming games.
Horn is a physical defender, has an alpha personality and loves to cover the opponent’s top receiver. The 49ers will love his bloodlines, his attitude and perhaps the fact that he played at South Carolina. He’d mesh well with a mentor like Sherman.
The team has used early-round picks on Gamecocks like Deebo Samuel and Javon Kinlaw in recent years and Lynch had a good relationship with Muschamp. The school has not yet named his permanent successor.
Brett Veach made the right call on trading Dee Ford to 49ers
It’s a chapter in Ford’s story that’s been written before, a familiar unavailability that has plagued him throughout his seven-year NFL career. And at this stage, it’s unlikely that Ford will be able to change the dominant narrative that his career was more potential than production.
It’s a sad state of affairs for Ford at this point and it’s certainly not his fault. A player can only do what his body will allow, and Ford has been cursed by some frustrating injuries throughout the course of his career. However it’s been back problems that ultimately kept Ford’s development at bay.
The back spasms began in 2015, his second season for the Chiefs, and they would return every couple years. In 2017, back pain would cost him the majority of the season in which he would appear in a then-career low of 6 games. In 2019, his first season with the Niners, he would miss a few games with a hamstring injury, but the back injury resurfaced in 2020 and kept him out for all but a single game in which he made 3 tackles.