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The 49ers do not have a legitimate NFL player in their roster who is in good health and available after two weeks of the regular season.
They might as well have lost back-to-back road games against the two worst teams on their schedule.
And, now, due to the trade they made to acquire a quarterback who can’t beat someone standing in the way of wins, there’s also no hope for future seasons. .
Excessive reactions? Yes.
But, now we have your attention for our Week 2 edition of 49ers Overreactions. . .
Excessive reactions? Yes.
The reasons for Brandon Aiyuk’s reduced contribution and Trey Sermon’s reserve status are obvious to everyone in the 49ers’ locker room – and everyone around the squad.
Other players in the same position groups have been better and more worthy of their roles.
In Aiyuk’s case, had he been immediately elevated to a senior position to Trent Sherfield early in the season, it could have caused problems. Players want teammates on the pitch who deserve their roles. Neither Aiyuk nor Sermon had an exceptional camp to prove that the team is better with them on the pitch.
The 49ers need Aiyuk to work hard, put pressure on the defense and become an away threat to make this offense as good as it can get. But that’s only on Aiyuk – and no one else.
Sherfield’s nickname on the team is “Textbook Trent” because he does everything right and is reliable. Aiyuk needs to take notes so that he can build on what he has accomplished as a rookie. Aiyuk is too talented to be the non-factor he was in the 49ers’ first two games of the season.
And let’s not get confused here: Sunday, Shanahan gave Aiyuk a chance. He was on the field for 38 shots, the second among the receivers after the 49 shots of Deebo Samuel. After that, it’s all about managing routes, making adjustments, and opening up. Garoppolo only targeted him twice. He caught a pass for 6 yards.
As for the part on tight end George Kittle shooting Trey Lance. . . Damn, light up.
Kittle shot himself, saying he liked stealth quarterbacks because he couldn’t ruin the game.
He shot Garoppolo, saying he was glad Garoppolo was finally in pain after a game and felt what it was like to be “a real football player”.
Once again, he reacted in a way one would expect from Kittle when told that Garoppolo was the team’s best forward at halftime. Garoppolo is obviously not the most mobile quarterback in the league, so Kittle made a joke that hit the nail on the head with anyone who heard him and understands the personalities involved.
“I love it,” Kittle said. “Woooh! We have a quarterback. I love it.”
In conclusion, I think the exact opposite of each of the above reactions.
Overreaction? Yes.
The only similarity I see is that, like Dante Pettis after his rookie season, Aiyuk may have felt like he had it all figured out as he entered his second season in the NFL. But that’s where the comparisons end.
Pettis didn’t work hard in the weight room and he never showed the willingness to do whatever needs to be done in order to maximize his potential.
We’ll see where Aiyuk takes it from here.
The worst part of the media rules enacted since the start of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 is that we really don’t have the chance to be around, observe and know the individuals in the areas. cloakrooms. So I’m unable to make up my mind for sure whether a guy has the right mindset to be successful.
But I feel like Aiyuk is quite capable of being a big contributor even when he’s not force-fed like last season. His numbers last season were inflated as he was the only legitimate option the 49ers had in the passing game for much of the season.
Overreaction? No but …
If Aiyuk needs a fire lit under him, getting the message that he needs to keep fighting for his place on the team might be just the thing.
But let’s be clear: the 49ers aren’t going to trade Aiyuk because they still have faith in him.
Plus, if you’re looking to trade a first-round pick after just one season, the payback price will be minimal.
The 49ers are very fond of Jauan Jennings. He reminds a lot of people of Kendrick Bourne. The team thinks he has a chance to be even better. But Aiyuk has a higher cap. He can still be a star in this league.
Asking about an exchange at this point is far too early. Yet this is not a totally irrational suggestion. But the team doesn’t have enough depth on the wide receiver to sideline such a talented young player.
They haven’t done it with Jalen Hurd, and they sure won’t do it with Aiyuk at this point.
Overreaction? No.
Deebo Samuel showed up to training camp in the best shape of his career. And with his style of play, he must be in great shape because he plays so hard.
Right now, the 49ers don’t have a legitimate threat from the other side, so Samuel is clearly the team’s # 1 option in the passing game.
He leads the league with 282 yards in two games. Obviously, he won’t keep up with this pace. It’s a long, long season, but he’s ready to have a really good season if he’s able to stay on the pitch.
Overreaction? Yes.
Jimmy Garoppolo completed 70.9% of his passes in the first two games. He averaged 9.2 yards per attempt. He also collected five first downs (including one touchdown) on the ground.
Oh, by the way, the 49ers are 2-0.
That said, I think it’s naive to believe that the only reason the 49ers moved up to No.3 to select a quarterback was because of Garoppolo’s injury history. Shanahan has to handle the game differently with Garoppolo. No question.
But Garoppolo is the 49ers’ best quarterback right now.
At some point in the future, the best option will be Trey Lance. But that time is not yet here.
Overreaction? No.
Rookie cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was beaten for a 91-yard pass against the Eagles. This is not good, of course. But we’ve all seen so many times when a young player gets burned, it leads to another bad play and another and another.
Philadelphia thought it could take advantage of him. The Eagles therefore continued to test Lenoir, and he was up to the challenge.
I love everything I see of Lenoir. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started as long as he played for the 49ers.
Overreaction? No.
If you’re referring to running defense, through two games, you’re not wrong.
The 49ers’ run defense is the fifth worst in the league as they allowed 5.04 yards per rushing attempt. The pass defense, however, was very good, even with the 91-yard non-scoring pass that significantly inflated those numbers.
Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw should be the key to the team’s home defense. They have to keep him healthy. It was surprising that he played as much as against Philadelphia. His goal should be to play only downhill.
Overreaction? Yes.
Special teams played an important role in the 49ers’ victory in week two.
Kinlaw blocked a field goal, Mitch Wishnowsky was deadly accurate with his punt to pin the Eagles deep into their own turf three times, and Robbie Gould punted 46 yards for a lead. 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Overreaction? No and yes.
I had the pleasure of sitting next to my daughter, Jane, a freshman at the University of New Hampshire, in the press gallery above the field in Philadelphia. And, yeah, there have been a few times I’ve pointed out that I think Elijah Mitchell is leaving yards on the court with his decision making on running plays.
Even though she was watching her first NFL game in person, she agreed with me. And that’s all I needed to hear.
So, yeah, I think Mitchell can improve a lot in this area.
That said, 49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner is the best in the business. If Mitchell starts Trey Sermon again, I am extremely confident in stating that Mitchell should be starting.
Could this change? Sure. And when / if that happens, it will be because Sermon deserved it – not because he was selected three rounds before Mitchell in the draft.
Overreaction? No.
I’m not sure the 49ers have the best offensive line in the league. And I don’t have the knowledge to go back and compare this season’s O-line to groups from Shanahan’s past.
But, I believe, this unit is very good.
RELATED: Source: 49ers Signing Jacques Patrick From The Bengals Practice Squad
They will never be able to replace the true revolutionary speed of Raheem Mostert, but they can find solutions to keep riding throughout the season – whether with Mitchell, Sermon, Trent Cannon, the new Jacques Patrick and, later, after JaMycal Hasty and Jeff Wilson return from the casualty reserve.
Overreaction? No.
Considering the health of the running hall, there is no doubt in my mind that Frank Gore could exit the boxing ring, enter the 49ers squad and average 4.2 yards per carry on Sunday night.
Corn . . . as hard as it may be to write, Gore, 38, is probably not a good candidate for this team at the moment.
They’re looking for a bit more explosion and playability with their outer zone scheme. Plus, they don’t need a running back to get into the organization and be a starter for the rest of the season. They need someone who can serve as a backup and also take over by playing in special teams.
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