[lex24]

Fun NFL facts:

1) Road teams were 1-5 in the NFL playoffs.  Niners had the only win.
2) Aaron Rodgers is 0-3 against the 49ers in the playoffs. 
3) Cowboys averaged 6 yards per play over the season, but 4.4 against the 49ers.  Extrapolated over the season, that would be last in the NFL.
4) Cowboys were #1 in scoring offense at 31.3 in the NFL.  Niner defense held them to just over half their season average.
5) Jimmy Ward said SF loaded up against the run to "dare" Prescott to beat them with his passing.
6) Niner OL didn't give up a sack.
7) Robbie Gould hasn't missed a FG in his playoff career.  He's 18-18.
8) Remember that fake punt again Dallas?  Niner special teams players should remember there's no pass interference on fake punts.  Just for the future.
9) Niners finished 7th in the NFL in rushing (127.4) and got better as they went along.  They averaged 138.8 rush ypg the last four regular season games and ran for 169 against the Cowboys.
10) 49ers ranked 5th in the NFL with 48 sacks in 2021.
11) 49ers were #3 in total defense. 
12) Jimmy G. had a 98.7 passer rating this year,  but a 102.9 in his last 10 regular season games.
13) Packers beat the 49ers 30-28 in game 3 of the regular season on a 51 yard walkoff field goal.
14) There will be a high of 21 degrees on Saturday.  Game time is 5:15 local time.

No PI?  Or no 5 yard rule?  Can’t believe if they throws pass to a receiver and he’s tackled while ball is in air that it’s not PI. 

Nonetheless, Norman didn’t play the gunner. He turned and headed back towards the returner. A major mental error.  Niners should have kept their defense in and replaced a safety with Benjamin - on orders to fair catch.

The rule has to do with blocking, not tackling.  Since the result of a punt is intended to be a fair catch or a return, the return team is expected to be either receiving the ball or blocking for the runner, and the kicking team is supposes to tackle and/or be blocked.  The blocking expectation means that blocking contact is allowed on a fake, per NFL rules.

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Lance is not close. Smoke signals coming out of the Edward DeBartolo Senior Center in Santa Clara. But it doesn’t matter because Lex has already traded Jimmy and received Nick Mullins in return.

That's funny...in The Athletic, there's an article with players raving about Trey Lance's amazing success on the scout team.

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Niners grossly overpaid him based on a 5 game stretch of meaningless games.  He was better before the knee injury.  But I don’t know if he ever was a particularly accurate downfield passer. Great release.  But not a downfield guy.  Still, the contract is why he will be gone next year.  

As for Shanahans offense, it’s run oriented with the pass game predicated on play action.  Lance was in an offense at NDS that incorporated those elements.  It’s folly to base much of anything on the tidbits we’ve seen so far.  Rookie QBs are almost never successful.  Learning NFL offenses and defenses take a while.  Unless you are Andrew Luck. And savants don’t come around often.

Obviously Shanahan doesn’t want to have to throw him into the fray in a divisional playoff game. Probably wont have to.  But thumb, plus shoulder isn’t good.  What’s next - elbow?

FWLIW, Jimmy Garoppolo has the second highest road win percentage since the AFL/NFL merger (including playoffs) of any quarterback with 25 or more starts:

Patrick Mahomes, 26-7 (.788)
Jimmy Garoppolo, 20-6 (.769)
Joe Montana, 63-25 (.716)

And yet, I’m reading an article on the Panthers QB search.  Writer says that Derek Carr would be an upgrade over Darnold.  Garrapolo would not be.  I disagree with that.  But he’s carrying a $27 million cap hit around his neck.  Which is why, Phogge, he will be gone and if traded they won’t get much (value of return will depend on how much of the 27 mill the Niners have to eat) 

Good chance they will have to release him. That’s only a 1.4 million cap hit.  It’s not JG’s fault that the Niners overpaid him.  (I read that his cap hit is the highest percentage of any player in the league. Don’t know it that’s true. As there are several players with much higher salaries. But how they play the cap is, to say the least, confusing). He’s a solid QB in the 8 games or so a year that he’s actually healthy.  But he’s not worth $27 million.  And that, coupled with a franchise decision to trade multiple first rounders for Lance, leads to the obvious conclusion that he will be gone next year.

[lex24]

Fun NFL facts:

1) Road teams were 1-5 in the NFL playoffs.  Niners had the only win.
2) Aaron Rodgers is 0-3 against the 49ers in the playoffs. 
3) Cowboys averaged 6 yards per play over the season, but 4.4 against the 49ers.  Extrapolated over the season, that would be last in the NFL.
4) Cowboys were #1 in scoring offense at 31.3 in the NFL.  Niner defense held them to just over half their season average.
5) Jimmy Ward said SF loaded up against the run to "dare" Prescott to beat them with his passing.
6) Niner OL didn't give up a sack.
7) Robbie Gould hasn't missed a FG in his playoff career.  He's 18-18.
8) Remember that fake punt again Dallas?  Niner special teams players should remember there's no pass interference on fake punts.  Just for the future.
9) Niners finished 7th in the NFL in rushing (127.4) and got better as they went along.  They averaged 138.8 rush ypg the last four regular season games and ran for 169 against the Cowboys.
10) 49ers ranked 5th in the NFL with 48 sacks in 2021.
11) 49ers were #3 in total defense. 
12) Jimmy G. had a 98.7 passer rating this year,  but a 102.9 in his last 10 regular season games.
13) Packers beat the 49ers 30-28 in game 3 of the regular season on a 51 yard walkoff field goal.
14) There will be a high of 21 degrees on Saturday.  Game time is 5:15 local time.

No PI?  Or no 5 yard rule?  Can’t believe if they throws pass to a receiver and he’s tackled while ball is in air that it’s not PI. 

Nonetheless, Norman didn’t play the gunner. He turned and headed back towards the returner. A major mental error.  Niners should have kept their defense in and replaced a safety with Benjamin - on orders to fair catch.

The rule has to do with blocking, not tackling.  Since the result of a punt is intended to be a fair catch or a return, the return team is expected to be either receiving the ball or blocking for the runner, and the kicking team is supposes to tackle and/or be blocked.  The blocking expectation means that blocking contact is allowed on a fake, per NFL rules.

---

Lance is not close. Smoke signals coming out of the Edward DeBartolo Senior Center in Santa Clara. But it doesn’t matter because Lex has already traded Jimmy and received Nick Mullins in return.

That's funny...in The Athletic, there's an article with players raving about Trey Lance's amazing success on the scout team.

---

Niners grossly overpaid him based on a 5 game stretch of meaningless games.  He was better before the knee injury.  But I don’t know if he ever was a particularly accurate downfield passer. Great release.  But not a downfield guy.  Still, the contract is why he will be gone next year.  

As for Shanahans offense, it’s run oriented with the pass game predicated on play action.  Lance was in an offense at NDS that incorporated those elements.  It’s folly to base much of anything on the tidbits we’ve seen so far.  Rookie QBs are almost never successful.  Learning NFL offenses and defenses take a while.  Unless you are Andrew Luck. And savants don’t come around often.

Obviously Shanahan doesn’t want to have to throw him into the fray in a divisional playoff game. Probably wont have to.  But thumb, plus shoulder isn’t good.  What’s next - elbow?

FWLIW, Jimmy Garoppolo has the second highest road win percentage since the AFL/NFL merger (including playoffs) of any quarterback with 25 or more starts:

Patrick Mahomes, 26-7 (.788)
Jimmy Garoppolo, 20-6 (.769)
Joe Montana, 63-25 (.716)

And yet, I’m reading an article on the Panthers QB search.  Writer says that Derek Carr would be an upgrade over Darnold.  Garrapolo would not be.  I disagree with that.  But he’s carrying a $27 million cap hit around his neck.  Which is why, Phogge, he will be gone and if traded they won’t get much (value of return will depend on how much of the 27 mill the Niners have to eat) 

Good chance they will have to release him. That’s only a 1.4 million cap hit.  It’s not JG’s fault that the Niners overpaid him.  (I read that his cap hit is the highest percentage of any player in the league. Don’t know it that’s true. As there are several players with much higher salaries. But how they play the cap is, to say the least, confusing). He’s a solid QB in the 8 games or so a year that he’s actually healthy.  But he’s not worth $27 million.  And that, coupled with a franchise decision to trade multiple first rounders for Lance, leads to the obvious conclusion that he will be gone next year.