Golden Nuggets: Christian McCaffrey has the “sauce of champions”

“The sauce of championships”: Steve Young compares 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey to Ricky Watters

“Ricky was bigger, and so he could run people over,” Young shared on the Tolbert & Copes show. “... Christian is twitchier, right? He’s more Lamar Jackson. Like, he can make you ... you just miss. Ricky was more fluid. But we all underappreciated him when he was with us. And then, when he was gone, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, was he great.’ And that’s just one of those stupid mistakes that we all make when you don’t appreciate people that are close to you.

“But both of them, super talented, and really, to me, are the sauce of championships. Christian McCaffrey and Ricky Watters are the kind of things that create a championship ... that’s how you go win them. So that’s why I’m pretty excited about it.”

Steve Young on 49ers with Christian McCaffrey: ‘This is nirvana’

“I’m looking at Christian McCaffrey coming out of the huddle, and Deebo’s not even healthy, and I remember when we had [John Taylor], Jerry [Rice], Brent [Jones], Rickey Watters, William Floyd, we had people coming out of our ears, like this is nirvana,” Young said on KNBR. “You just want to play for this team. You just want to run those plays. Nirvana.”

Kawakami: 49ers’ John Lynch on the Christian McCaffrey negotiations, Aaron Banks’ rise and much more (paywall)

“You can see, even in the celebrations after touchdowns, there’s one that’s really hilarious; Kyle showed it at the team meeting,” Lynch said. “After George scored his touchdown, Christian’s doing this (lifting his arms up) waiting for the hug and George didn’t come and Christian stayed there for about 60 seconds until George finally came and saw him. That’s just representative that he fits in our locker room really well.”

Barrows: Assessing the Jeff Wilson trade; a power ranking of the returning 49ers: Mailbag (paywall)

“Cam Inman and I talked to Armstead on Tuesday. He was cagey about his injuries. He said the plantar fasciitis in one of his feet was something he’d be able to tough out. The ankle injury — which he declined to go into detail about — on the other leg has been more problematic. He said he’s encouraged by the progress, but the issue seems murky enough that no one is ready to say he’ll be back after the bye.”

Why Kyle Shanahan and Jed York were surprised 49ers GM John Lynch turned down broadcasting offer

“And then primarily my relationship with Kyle, my friendship and my respect for him and the coaching staff that we have, my staff. All that weighed in. But ultimately, when it came down to making that decision, because the money did get ridiculous, all I could think about was [the moment] getting up and talking to that team. And if I left them with unfinished business, I would never feel good. That wouldn’t sit well with me.”

Murph: The 49ers were two different teams in the first half of 2022, which one is the real one?

“The 49ers defense has never been the concern. At least, it wasn’t until the injuries to Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw and Emmanuel Moseley made it so, particularly in the Falcons and Chiefs games. But the belief that Armstead is returning, and perhaps Jason Verrett at corner, and maybe Kinlaw — plus their performance against the Rams — returned faith among the Faithful. Yes, challenges await with a second half that features Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray and Tyreek Hill, but the Nick Bosa-Fred Warner-Talanoa Hufanga crew is not what keeps 49ers fans up at night.”