:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67131111/1174617756.jpg.0.jpg)
Happy Thursday, everyone. We’re a few days away from the 49ers transitioning to the strength and conditioning period, where they can wear helmets. Let’s get into some links, starting with known Niners lover, Colin Cowherd backing Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jimmy Garoppolo is in Tier 3, along with Ryan Tannehill, Nick Foles, Daniel Jones, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray. Now, come on. Kirk Cousins? Come on. (Drew) Brees has Sean Payton,” Cowherd rebutted. “(Tom) Brady had (Bill) Belichick. (Dan) Marino had Don Shula. Jimmy Johnson and Troy Aikman. Dan Fouts was great. He had [Don] Coryell. Joe Montana had Bill Walsh. Find me the single Hall-of-Fame-level quarterback who had lousy coaches.
Why do people not get Jimmy Garoppolo? My guess is two things. He’s not as big and strong as Cam (Newton) or Big Ben,” Cowherd said. “He doesn’t have Mahomes’ arm or Aaron Rodgers’ release or the escapability of Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson or Carson Wentz. There’s nothing to grab on to. There’s nothing to say, ‘Look at that! Garoppolo may not be a Tier 1, but he’s mid to upper Tier 2. And there’s no way he’s middle of Tier 3
After making his name on special teams for four years, Mostert broke out to post the fourth-best rushing grade in the league last year (83.3) while averaging 5.8 yards per carry and forcing 46 missed tackles on 190 rushes. Mostert has angle-changing speed, and that’s even more valuable when the system puts the running back into space as often as it does.
Tevin Coleman has impressive speed of his own. and while he wasn’t as successful as Mostert, he posted the highest rushing grade of his career (71.3) in his first season in San Francisco last year.
The highest-graded fullback in three of the last four years, Juszczyk has averaged over 10.0 yards per reception over the last two years, as the 49ers do a great job of getting him into space and reminding defenses that they must defend the entire field.
“I was like, ‘Oh, wow, OK,’ ” Rodgers told Brandt for the first episode of a future Ringer/Spotify podcast. “I love scotch, but I’ve been drinking some sipping tequila lately as well. And once I got that text [that Love was the pick], I went to the pantry, I poured myself about four fingers [of tequila] and I knew it was going to be one of those nights where people start calling.”
A doctor and former football player warns it’s not safe for the NFL to start the season
“I do not think it’s safe to return right now,” Rolle said. “I think the NFL should delay the sport or cancel it this year to allow the wonderful women and men on the front lines to really get ahead of this pandemic and make it safe for everyone to come back to the sport. If the NFL wants to be part of the community, I think it needs to be responsible and think about what is actually happening in the community right now. A pandemic happening and infection rates going up and hospitalizations occurring, PPE at high demand.”
When you have states that are hot beds and players coming from these places, I think it’s very difficult to sort of say, ‘I want to social distance,’ in a sport that’s inherently close,” Rolle explained. There is a “need to be cohesive in the locker room and in the huddle and walk-throughs close together. It’s very difficult.
“It’s actually encouraged to be physical. It’s encouraged to have hand fighting at the line of scrimmage to tackle a player,” Rolle explained. “And as a football player, if you’re thinking about trying to keep yourself safe in the midst of a game that inches matter, one step too slow, one step too late, that’s the touchdown. That’s a win versus a loss.”
“Those players have a lot of pressure on them already, and add on the extra burden of thinking they will be safe and transmit this virus back to the families and loved ones,”