Looking
at the season from last year the 49ers had a rough year when it came to
injuries, first their starting RB went down (McKinnon). Then after 3 weeks of
okay play going 1-2 the 49ers lost their starting franchise QB Jimmy G to an
ACL injury for the rest of the season. These were just the two major injuries
that the 49ers suffered last year of what seemed like 25-30 injured players
throughout the season. At one point I believe they were starting their 3rd
or 4th String RB and they had to bring up Nick Mullens from the
practice squad to start when backup QB CJ Bethard went down with injury. Now this
led to a very interesting situation where they are stacked with talent, they
have players returning from injury and the team has added some studs like LB
Dee Ford, DE Nick Bosa and CB Jason Verrett. Will these players even be on the
team come week one? How will they impact the fortunes of the team? These are questions
that will be answered as the season unfolds. For now, we are looking at
Training Camp and the battles that will commence in Santa Clara, first we look
at last year’s stats…
Record: 4-12 Finished 3rd
in the NFC West
Team Leaders
·
Pass Yards: QB Nick Mullens (2227 yards)
·
Rush Yards: RB Matt Bredia (814 yards)
·
Rec. Yards: TE George Kittle (1377 yards) (New
Single Season Record for TE)
·
Tackles: LB Fred Warner (124 tackles)
·
INT’s: S Antoine Exum Jr (1 INT) (One of 2 the
team had all year)
·
Sacks: DE Deforest Buckner (12 sacks)
·
Fumble Rec.: 5 players tied (1 fum rec)
Team Stats
·
PPG: 21.3
·
Total Touchdowns: 35
·
Passing Yards: 241 ypg
·
Rushing: 113 ypg
·
Opp. Passing: 233 ypg
·
Opp. Rush: 113 ypg
·
Turnover Ratio: -25
Training Camp Battles
Wide Receiver
1.
Projected Starter: WR Dante Pettis
2.
Projected Starter: WR Marquise Goodwin
3.
In the hunt: WR Max McCaffery, WR Trent Taylor,
WR Deebo Samuel, WR Jalen Hurd and Richie James
Last season this position was lacking the question now is
were they lacking because of the absence of topflight QB play or were they just
not as good as first thought. Well the front office decided to take no chances,
they used 2 early round picks on wideouts (Samuel & Hurd) and they added
some veteran help by adding Jordan Matthews as well. The competition will be fierce
with both the incumbent starters looking to hold their positions. There is a
lot of talent in this position group and Jimmy G will have plenty of options to
throw to. Samuel figures to make his impact on the kick return squad. But Hurd
could crack the lineup if he has a great camp and preseason. I don’t expect Matthews
to make the cut unfortunately and I expect McCaffery and Taylor to platoon the
slot barring injury. This will go from being one of the weakest position groups
on the team to one of the best.
Defensive Line
1.
Projected Starter: DE/LB Dee Ford
2.
Projected Starter: DT Deforest Buckner
3.
Projected Starter: DT Solomon Thomas
4.
Projected Starter: DE Nick Bosa
5.
In the Hunt: DL Arik Armstead, DL Ronald Blair,
DL Sheldon Day, DL DJ Jones
This is a very interesting position group because their
improvement effects the entire defense, the 49ers defense only forces a
historically low 2 interceptions and only 7 turnovers all year long. This
starts and ends with solving the issues with the D-line. The team took that job
seriously this offseason adding DL/LB Dee Ford who had 13 sacks and forced 7
turnovers by himself for KC last year. Then they used the number 2 pick in the
draft to add more depth tot the D-Line by bringing in DE Nick Bosa who is the
brother of the sensational rookie DE Joey Bosa for the Chargers. This adds
depth to a young D-Line that will look to add another 10+ sack season from
someone other than Buckner. With Ford, Bosa, Buckner and Thomas or Armstead
starting the 49ers should see an increase in not only sacks but also forced
turnovers. The QB will have less time to make decisions therefor should commit
more turnovers. This well help the offense get more touches allowing them to
hopefully win more games. But the season should start with those 4 manning the
front lines.
If you want to listen to the Double K’s Classroom Podcast tune in
at
every other Friday Night on the 4ACES Presents Radio Network…
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