Over the past couple of weeks, NFL insiders and fans have been engaged in a heated debate about whether former 49er, Frank Gore, belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While most agree that Gore will eventually be honored in Canton, there are those who believe his enshrinement will be due to his longevity and inflated statistics. These critics will argue that Frank Gore has never been able to establish himself as a dominant running back at any point in his career, and even though he has always been a consistently good running back, he has never been...

For the last 13 years, Joe Staley has protected the quarterback's blind side for the San Francisco 49ers. He did this at an extremely high level as he was widely considered one of the best left tackles in the NFL for the better part of the last decade. However, as the old cliché goes, all good things must come to an end and the big man decided to hang 'em up about a month ago. Staley will be putting on a gold jacket in about five years, making it difficult for San Francisco to find a comparable successor. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan was able to use his previous relationships to help the 49ers land another future Hall of Famer,...

The San Francisco 49ers declined to pick up the fifth-year option for DE Solomon Thomas, who is being labeled as a "bust" by analysts and fans alike. Expectations are high for a third overall draft pick, and Thomas has been unable to live up to the hype. So, what exactly went wrong with the development of Solomon Thomas? The 2016 49ers were abysmal on the defensive side of the ball, ranking 32nd overall, allowing 406.4 total yards per game and ranking in the bottom half of the league with only 33 team sacks. The 49ers desperately needed a game-changing defensive end, who could generate pressure against opposing quarterbacks and set the edge against the run. In the 2017 NFL Draft, the 49ers filled that need by selecting Thomas, who was considered one of the nation's top...

The evolution of professional football from decade to decade is a conversation that never ceases to leave me in awe. Equipment gets stronger and lighter, while athletes eat and train better. The result is a faster game, though football's rudimentary foundations remain unchanged. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's mastery of professional football has given him many labels, including soothsayer and genius. Predicting the outcome of a play is impressive, but for me, Shanahan's modifications to the original West Coast Offense is his most remarkable accomplishment. In the 1982 49ers playbook, the late Bill...

Take a moment to think about the last 49ers player to be arrested. Google it if you must. This exercise may take a few moments of your time, but that wasn't always the case. Quite frankly, a 49er being arrested was a monthly occurrence under past regimes. 49ers fans would dread the days like this one, mid-May, when the NFL was deep in hibernation and yet a 49ers player would be the talk of the sports world. Whether it be Rueben Foster's domestic violence allegation, Aldon Smith's numerous DWIs or unfathomable bomb threat, Bruce Miller's physical assault of a senior citizen or Ahmad Brooks being booked on sexual battery charges, the 49ers had no shortages of disgusting headlines focused around the deplorable behavior of some of their biggest stars. Once beloved...

When the San Francisco 49ers traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts, finding his replacement became an immediate priority. The organization addressed this need by spending the 14th overall selection in the draft on Javon Kinlaw. Fair or not, the Unversity of South Carolina product will constantly be compared to his predecessor. While comparing production at the professional level won't be possible until the NFL season starts, we can still take a look at what Kinlaw and Buckner were able to accomplish in college. Of course, there is no scientific equation that states X amount of sacks as an amateur translates to X amount as a pro, but this exercise will at least provide some insight into how these two compare to each other heading into the league. To...

John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are widely considered to be one of the best general manager/head coach combos in the NFL. Taking a team from 6-10 to 13-3 and a Super Bowl appearance in three years will do that, but with success come a few misfires. 2020 marks the first year of the Lynch and Shanahan regime's decisions to pick up the 5th-year options of its first draft with the 49ers. 2017 number three overall pick Solomon Thomas already had his option declined, saving the team an estimated $12 million in...

Maybe it's because he is very handsome. Maybe it's because his coach chooses to run the ball more than pass it. Maybe it's because he dates porn stars. Maybe it's because his team lost a 4th quarter lead in the Super Bowl. Whatever the reason may be, people don't like San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Sometimes players are just unlikable, I get it. While sports is based on physical abilities, the motivation to cheer for or root against a player often relies heavily on the personality of the player. Former Cleveland Browns QB Johnny Manziel is a prime example of someone who is almost impossible to like. Manziel was a spoiled rich kid who had a terrible attitude and was a junky off the field. Mix in some domestic violence issues and you have a person who only a...

Oh, what a difference a few weeks make. In my initial version of this article, created just before this year's NFL Draft, I penned in the names of ten veteran 49er players who I believed might not be with the team on the opening week of the upcoming regular season. With wide receiver Marquise Goodwin traded recently to the Philadelphia Eagles, accompanied by a trade of running back Matt Breida to the Miami Dolphins, that group of ten was pared down, then shaved again when 49ers all-pro tackle Joe Staley announced his retirement over the Draft weekend. Still another name was snatched from my list two weeks prior to the loss of those three, not by departure but via re-signing, when the team secured cornerback Jason Verrett to a one-year contract in mid-April. The...

With the recent schedule release for the 2020 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers revenge tour officially begins. While the schedule will certainly present its fair share of challenging matchups and adversity throughout the season, the odds of the 49ers once again claiming NFC supremacy remain high with a formidable roster intact. It's safe to say, after a bitter Super Bowl defeat, that the team has loftier goals beyond just the NFC. While the 49ers may be slightly less talented considering their offseason departures, reinforcements are in place to make another deep playoff run. More than half the players on the roster are in the final year of their contracts (potentially 34 to be exact). However the season ends for the 49ers, the future is now. Here are the...

With the NFL releasing the schedule on Thursday night, it's time to start making predictions and debating how the season will unfold for the San Francisco 49ers. Of course, a lot can change between now and September - or whenever the season will start - but let's have some fun and take a look at the 49ers' matchups this season. Week 1: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers Prediction: 49ers 24 Cardinals 13 Year two with Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray should be exciting. This Cardinals team made strides towards the end of the 2019 season and the addition of DeAndre Hopkins should help propel the team even further. However, the 49ers are still the better team and should have no problem taking care of business in Week One. Look for Arizona to...

The San Francisco 49ers' 2020 schedule has been released--pending any sort of changes, of course. Games may be subject to change during this particular time with COVID-19; it's possible some games could have little to no attendance or perhaps they will be delayed altogether. Nonetheless, I wanted to give my initial thoughts on the 49ers' schedule. They currently have the fourth toughest schedule (.527) with five prime time games along with some interesting tidbits: The 49ers will face six playoff teams in seven matchups during the upcoming season—the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, New Orleans...

The Niners enter the 2020 season with very few holes on the roster following an NFL Draft where they added Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk to replace DeForest Buckner and Emmanuel Sanders, while trading for Trent Williams after 13-year veteran Joe Staley announced his retirement Despite the youthful acquisitions, the 49ers did not add anything new to the roster. Instead, they replaced what was already there. San Francisco will be reliant on returning injured players to be the "acquisitions" for the upcoming season. Former third-round pick Jalen Hurd has been medically cleared, according to 49ers' GM John Lynch. Jimmy Garoppolo's favorite target in 2017, Trent Taylor, is currently rehabbing and is expected to be ready for the start of the season. Even 2020...

The NFL offseason is a wild duality of celebration and sadness. Last week, 32 teams drafted 255 new players into professional football, while many veterans decided it was time to walk away from the game. Unfortunately for the San Francisco 49ers, the team and the millions of fans had to say good-bye to 13-year veteran tackle Joe Staley. The 'will-he-won't-he-retire' rhetoric surrounding Staley seemed to be mild up until a few days before the draft. I'm guessing 49er management knew Staley's intentions before the draft and put together a plan even Hannibal Smith would applaud. General manager John Lynch was able to drop back in the first round and obtain a blue-chip defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw. He waited until the third day of the draft...

Part of what makes the NFL Draft such a special event is all of the hope and excitement surrounding it. Players get to accomplish their childhood dream of playing professional football, while coaches and fans are exhilarated with what the team's new additions bring to the table. However, there is a dark side to the event. Through the draft and the undrafted free agent market, the San Francisco 49ers added 16 rookies to the roster. With every new face that enters the building, an old one walks out. The exit might not happen until September, or whenever the regular season starts, but...

Now that the NFL Draft has come and gone, it is time to start looking forward to training camp and the start of the season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have put together an excellent roster for the San Francisco 49ers that will come with tough cuts before the season kicks off. I'm going to make a way-too-early prediction on what the final 53-man roster could look like in September. Quarterbacks (2): Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens This is it. This is the year that Shanahan finally decides to move on from C.J. Beathard. Rookie UDFA Broc Rutter could come in and push for the third spot if they do decide to keep three. Other than that, Garoppolo and Mullens are clearly the best two at this...

The 2020 NFL Draft is officially in the books as the San Francisco 49ers come away with five players to round out their draft class. The 49ers entered the draft with two first-round picks and not much else; previous trades for edge Dee Ford and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders gutted their day two picks. Many expected the 49ers to recoup draft capital in the mid-rounds via trade. 49ers general manager John Lynch was certainly active in the trading scene but not in the way most expected. I recognize that instant draft day grades can grow tiresome year-over-year when the true value of these draft picks cannot be fully assessed until after a couple of seasons. However, it's important to understand the context as to why the 49ers drafted these players with respect to team...

What a weekend. The last three days for the 49ers organization and fanbase has been a roller coaster ride. Losing Joe Staley to retirement is going to sting, but gaining Trent Williams to replace him makes the healing process much easier. The collaboration that Shanahan and Lynch have proved is commendable. It is not just with their words on every news conference they join together, but with their actions that truly demonstrate their outstanding partnership--something that Niner fans can appreciate. With the 2020 draft now over and next season around the corner (hopefully), here are two main takeaways about the 49ers regime we should remember for future drafts: 1) Defensive line will always be the 49ers'...

A lot changes in 3 days. Heading into the 2020 draft the 49ers seemed poised to scoop up one of the top 3 WRs with their #13 pick and then the trade-down bonanza was set to commence. Wrong. What followed was nothing short of stunning, as the next 3 days would turn the franchise upside down and leave the landscape drastically altered. I gained 2 significant takeaways from these past 3 days: the 49ers are all in for Super Bowl 55 and those moves left a lot more questions than answers. Foundational Javon Kinlaw Prior to the 2020 draft the 49ers spoke of 6 foundational players in this draft class. There was speculation on who these players were and on Thursday night the world found out that 1 of them was DT Javon Kinlaw. When the 49ers traded away DT DeForest...

While NFL Draft pundits and fans alike can give instant reactions to their team's player selections, it's easy to forget that the true value of the picks cannot be fully assessed until after a couple of seasons. Some players become instant starters (Deebo Samuel) while others remain a work in progress (Solomon Thomas). Having said that, I want to pull out the receipts on what draft analysts were saying prior to the draft, along with their player comparisons. With the 2020 NFL Draft now in the books, let's review what various scouting outlets were saying about the 49ers' day three picks. The 49ers traded linebacker Eli Harold in 2018 to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick. Fast forward to now and with the 217th pick in the NFL Draft, the 49ers select...