49ers experience needed shift in positivity as Week 1 approaches

It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the 49ers. Actually, that does not even come close to describing what the organization has experienced since the opening of training camp. The nadir came Saturday afternoon, of course, when rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot through the chest during an armed robbery attempt. Miraculously, Pearsall did not require surgery and was discharged from the hospital less than 21 hours after the incident. The 49ers on Monday placed Pearsall on the reserve/non-football injury list, making him ineligible for at least the first four games of the regular season. Between that scary, life-and-death situation, the 49ers worked out a couple of high-profile contract issues with two of their offensive stars. The news of Trent Williams and the 49ers getting set to finalize their new deal is another positive development - and the last issue hanging over the team that needed to be addressed. Williams was on a jet to the Bay Area in the early morning hours on Tuesday. His agency reports Williams is returning to the Bay Area to "finalize the new contract." In other words, it's close enough that there is no question at this point that it's going to happen....