Players to watch in 1st preseason game

which Players will you have under the microscope in the first preseason game, who will you be most excited to see, and why?

The obvious choices

Kap. Who isn't going to be watching to see the much scrutinized new throwing mechanics.

The rookies, big three being
Armstead. How's his jump off the line, his techniques, is he staying low?

Harold. Excited to see if Baalke hit on another olb pick. Camp signs are looking up.

And pinion. Honestly punter is important. Curious to see how the lee gamble paid off.

Tartt I would include here but I don't expect him to play much this year, honestly could be my favorite rook.

The whole damn ol. Hopefully a good showing from starters And backups.

Under the radar

Bush, the chemistry between him and kap on the dink and dunk plays. See if we get different looks with him in the backfield instead of hyde.

Moody. Maybe not under the radar. But he has some good tools to work with. If he is the real deal it will be comforting to know the middle of our d will still be strong.

Honorable mentions. Torrey, two udfa wr dres and Deandrew. Our cb competition. Could go on.

In order of importance....

Entire starting OL. There has to be some positive, no matter how small. If this unit goes into the regular season with no confidence we are f**ked.

WR's other than Boldin and Smith. Let's face it, there aren't enough roster spots for all of them. With succession planning in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if Patton gets cut. That said....

KR/PR. This may be the ticket for several players, not just WR's but RB's too. Bush has receiving ability out of the back field, but Ellington may have to earn a pay check here. Also, if Ellington out performs Bush as our KR/PR, I wouldnt be surprised to see Bush sent packing. After all, are we really going to fool anyone into thinking run when Bush enters the game?

DL: The reason our defense has been so good has been our front 7, and that starts with the line. Also the reason we have been able to play musical chairs with our defensive backs, particularly our corners.

CB. The rubber has to meet the road eventually and we have to find out what kind of depth we truly have. A ton of unknowns here.

Punter. Pinion sounds like a beast. Has there ever been a kicker who has handled all of the kicking duties? Saw some videos of him place kicking from mid 50's and he was money. At the very least it will be entertaining to watch.

All the backup TEs

Few things I'll have my eye on:

1. Entire starting o-line, especially in pass pro.
2. Kap. Hope to see improvements in his game.
3. DeAndrew White. Let's see if he's for real.
4. NaVorro Bowman. He's back!!!
5. Nick Moody. Let's see if he's capable of starting next to Bow.
6. Eli Harold. I'm counting on this young guy to provide some pass rush. Not confident in Lemonier.

Also excited to see the offense operate at a faster pace. Tomsula said he wants to break the huddle at 22 seconds.

Only 1 player matters and thats Kaep, gonna be interesting to actually see him play preseason games for once.

Ranked in order of importance (my opinion, of course):
Kap, 0-line in general, defensive front seven in general, Hyde, Pears, Lynch, whoever starts at center and right guard, T. Smith, Moody, Bush, Armstead, Pinion, Tartt, White, Harold and, just because, Okoye.

I didn't put down that many returning vets on the list of who I'll be watching in particular because I think we mostly know what to expect them them. Never-the-less, I will be watching to see if Vernon Davis looks more like the player he was in 2013 and if Hunter will return to form (he's a great asset when he can play full bore) and I'd love to see Vance McDonald take a big step this year (because of a big push from behind by Carrier and/or Bell).

The CBs, especially Acker and Reaser.

Jarry Hayne. He'll be a stud on special teams coverage -- he's a big hitter at 226. Also has great hands as a receiver/pr, and is a powerful RB with 4.45 speed.

Lawrence Okoye - very impressive in camp. Hope he's not a numbers victim.

Shawn Lemon - Came into his own last season leading the entire CFL in sacks.

Marcus Rush - Who? Listed as a DL, but is playing OLB -- very fast, good athlete.

DeAndrew White - has to be a lock. Ryan Sakamoto reported on FB: "I cannot honestly say that Torrey Smith is a better WR than DeAndrew White".

Everyone

Originally posted by valrod33:
Only 1 player matters and thats Kaep, gonna be interesting to actually see him play preseason games for once.

Originally posted by valrod33:
Only 1 player matters and thats Kaep, gonna be interesting to actually see him play preseason games for once.

Matt Maiocco ‏@MaioccoCSN 7 Sep 2013
RT @Kaepernick7: PSA: Just for clarity it's Kap not Kaep > At @CSNAuthentic we made that official decree to all employees some time ago.

Originally posted by AmpLee:
Man, there's so many story lines to watch. I can't think of a more exciting preseason.

I'm pretty excited to see at least a couple players from every group out there...

The Redshirt Crew:
Tank
Reaser
Acker
B Thomas
Millard
Ramsay

The Coming Back from Injury:
Bowman
Hunter
Ward
Dorsey
Williams

The new arrivals:
Bush
Torrey
Pears
Wright
Dockett

The Rugby Guys:
Okoye
Hayne

The Rooks:
Armstead
Tartt
Harold
Bell
Brown

The UDFA WRs:
Deandrew White
Dres "Flipper's Son" Anderson

The Replacements:
Dial
Moody
Hyde

The muthaf**kin' Punter:
Pinion

Excellent post!!

Coaching:
New play calling systems
Time for the QB's pre snap
CK taking control of the huddle
Play calling...personnel usage, packages, tempo, rhythm, situational awareness (to a lesser degree)
C-QB exchanges, line calls against a very good DL
Bowman's first hit


Personnel:
QB: Colin Kaepernick; Blaine Gabbert - How decisive is CK, how fast is the ball getting out and is he hitting his check-downs and outlets? How's his touch, accuracy and deep ball? Has Blaine taken the next step to help us all feel better about the backup QB?
RB1: Carlos Hyde; Mike Davis - Decisive, patient, stretch run visions and cutting? Pass protection for Hyde and Davis?
RB2: Reggie Bush; Kendall Hunter - Swing passes, runs inside? Hunter, how many snaps? How's he doing on lateral runs (stretch runs)?
H-Back: Trey Millard - Versatility and athleticism and role he's being used in.
TE: Vernon Davis; Vance McDonald, Derek Carrier & Blake Bell - blocking, catching, stretching the field, RZ and as an outlet?
FB: Bruce Miller - usual.
X WR: Torrey Smith; Jerome Simpson - respect CB's give them...timing with CK?
Y WR (SLOT): Bruce Ellington; DeAndrew White - versatility, hands and RAC?
Z WR: Anquan Boldin; Dres Anderson - body positioning, underneath, take hits?
LOT: Joe Staley - rock, health
LG: Alex Boone; Dillon Farrell - working with Staley (communication) and Farrell in the ZBS
C: Joe Looney - line calls, has he settled down? Arrow up? Watch him on the move and how he holds up in PP.
RG: Marcus Martin; Brandon Thomas - ups and downs? Steady? Are they gamers?
ROT: Erik Pears; Trenton Brown - Want to here nothing but quiet from these two.
RDE: Quinton Dial; Tank Carradine & Arik Armstead - bull rush, disciplined two-gapping, eyes in the backfield, occupy two at times, pass rush? How far has Okoye come?
NT: Ian Williams - holding the point, collapsing the pocket, in 1 and 2-gaps? Active? Disruptive.
LDE: Glenn Dorsey; Darnell Dockett - See RDE and Dockett with inside pressure. Health? Active? Quick first step? Disruptive?
WILL: Ahmad Brooks; Eli Harold - microscope (watch where they line up); disruptive in pass rush? Disciplined vs. the run?
TED: Nick Moody - angles, form tackling, blowing up OL/FB's for the MIKE, read-recognition, pass coverage, etc.
MIKE: Navarro Bowman; Nick Bellore - just his first hit; how does Bellore look as an actual ILB?
SAM: Aaron Lynch; Corey Lemonier - will Lynch even play? If not, is Lemonier strong enough for the SAM? It's Lemon vs. Lemonier. Who wins? How about Marcus Rush?
RCB: Shareece Wright; Dontae Johnson & Kenneth Acker - how are they in press (jam too), playing off blitzes, any pattern matching?
SLOT (S/CB): Jimmie Ward; Keith Reaser - healthy? quickness, blanket coverage, etc.?
LCB: Tramaine Brock - is he back?
FS: Eric Reid; L.J. McCray - how far has McCray progressed?
SS: Antoine Bethea - rock
NICKEL/DIME (SS/ILB Robber): Jaquiski Tartt - will he be used in this role? Or just the traditional SS role?
LS: Kyle Nelson - rock
PK: Phil Dawson - leg look lively and active or old and crusty?
P: Bradley Pinion - gotta see this leg
PR/KOR: Bruce Ellington/Reggie Bush/DeAndrew White - can't wait to see this group plus J.Hayne

excited to see Dylan outperform Blaine

I want to see what, if anything out of the ordinary, they do with the Belldozer. Also curious about what Bustah Anderson brings to the team. And of course DeAndrew White. The kid just seems to have the 'IT" you always hear about. And Eli!

Originally posted by kezarvet49:

The CBs, especially Acker and Reaser.

Jarry Hayne. He'll be a stud on special teams coverage -- he's a big hitter at 226. Also has great hands as a receiver/pr, and is a powerful RB with 4.45 speed.

Lawrence Okoye - very impressive in camp. Hope he's not a numbers victim.

Shawn Lemon - Came into his own last season leading the entire CFL in sacks.

Marcus Rush - Who? Listed as a DL, but is playing OLB -- very fast, good athlete.

DeAndrew White - has to be a lock. Ryan Sakamoto reported on FB: "I cannot honestly say that Torrey Smith is a better WR than DeAndrew White".

Wish i could watch Smith vs White

issac blakney /nail King /...& busta Anderson ...we need speed and size ...on offense ...defense ..any body to replace tje..c dahl...