49ers mailbag: What’s wrong? Is Sanu the answer? Will Aaron Rodgers come home?
You might have heard, the 49ers didn’t play very well in the season opener. They blew a fourth quarter lead to Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, which repeated a trend from a rather high-profile game in early February.
There were a few more questions submitted than normal for this week’s mailbag, so let’s get to them!
Abraham asks: Overall, what’s your reaction after Week 1 for the 49ers?
There are absolutely things to be concerned with. And there are some things that I expect will change quickly.
First, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t play well, particularly in the second half. And I think it’s fair for that idea to not sit well with fans given what happened in the Super Bowl on top of coach Kyle Shanahan deciding to win with the running game in January’s playoffs against the Vikings and Packers.
Garoppolo has played poorly in three straight Week 1s. Take that for whatever it’s worth. But I’m inclined to think it’s a trend and he’ll get better like he did last year.
The receiving corps is clearly problematic. It’s also in flux and I expect changes to be made as the season goes on. Remember, during points early last season, Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin were starting games. As the year wore on, Deebo Samuel developed and the team acquired Emmanuel Sanders which completely changed the complexion of the offense.
However, I’d be surprised if an equivalent move to Sanders happened again this year. The 49ers need all their draft capital to restock the roster given the looming exodus of free agents in the spring and the league-wide revenue shortfall shrinking the salary cap. But I expect the receiving corps to take a different look as the season progresses.
Rookie Brandon Aiyuk is expected to be back this week. If he can have a similar season to Samuel last year, the 49ers should be in good shape. Samuel, too, will come back from his foot injury, hopefully (Oct. 4 against the Eagles is the team’s target, for now). Should the team sign Mohamed Sanu, which Shanahan hinted at on Monday, that would mean three entirely new receivers atop the depth chart from Sunday.
Defensively, I think playing Murray was the worst possible matchup for the 49ers or any team to open the season. Training camp was limited to just 14 padded practices, the air quality has been bad and the defense clearly hit a wall in the fourth quarter. The 82 snaps were more than any game last season. That’s not an excuse. The reality is the 49ers weren’t in shape to handle Murray and his slippery running style, particularly in the fourth quarter.
Yet despite all those issues, the Cardinals only had 10 points going into the fourth and their only touchdown to that point came after the blocked punt.
In my opinion, take away that blocked punt and if the 49ers had executed on the goal line fourth-and-1, they probably win the game by double digits and no one’s pressing the panic button.
Jyoti asks: Is Sanu the answer? Why did the Pats cut him?
I’m not sure he’s the answer, but I don’t think there’s any downside to bringing him in. Particularly if Richie James Jr. misses time with his hamstring injury. Sanu would be a better addition than promoting Kevin White, River Cracraft or Jauan Jennings from the practice squad, in my opinion.
With Sanu, the 49ers could feel good about playing someone with a lot of NFL experience, which none of those practice squad players above have, and he should hit the ground running given the familiarity with Shanahan’s offense. As I mentioned, I think a top three of Sanu, Samuel and Aiyuk (in any order) could be good enough with Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor rounding out the top five. There’s no Sanders in that group, but it would be deeper than last season’s.
Bill Belichick simply said it didn’t work out when Sanu was released. I don’t cover the Patriots, so I don’t have a good grasp of what happened, but it’s been said that an ankle injury had a lot to do with it. Sanu did make a good first impression in New England after they gave up a second-round pick last year. He had 10 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in his second game. But things went downhill from there.
Sanu might have been the 49ers’ first choice over Sanders last year, but the team didn’t have a 2020 second-round pick because of the Dee Ford trade, so they got Sanders and a fifth instead for a third- and fourth-round choice. Getting Sanu now without having to give up draft compensation seems like a logical move to me.
HX asks: In theory, if 49ers sign Sanu then who do you think gonna be player get cut to fill roster spot?
The 49ers had an open roster spot when they made final cuts to allow Fred Warner to return off the COVID-19 list. And they placed Samuel on IR over the weekend without making a corresponding move. So they still have an open roster spot allowing them to sign Sanu without making any cuts. Though they might use that spot on Ezekiel Ansah, who worked out with San Francisco on Tuesday.
Maybe Sanu takes the spot of James if he has to go on injured reserve.
Chris asks: Knowing the injuries to the O-line why did Shanahan not roll Jimmy out even once? He’s decent on the move. Change the launch point. Less predictable. He was a sitting duck back there Sunday.
I had a similar thought while watching. Shanahan’s game plan seemed very vanilla. There was far less pre-snap motion and window dressing that gave defenses fits last year.
I think some of that had to do with the team’s situation at receiver and Shanahan’s preference for 21 personnel (two running backs, a tight end, two receivers), which he used the majority of the time. One of the issues with having to play Bourne and Pettis so often is they don’t provide the same threat as Samuel with jet sweeps and hand offs, which are a big part of the offense’s pre-snap fakes.
I expect the offense to open up as the season goes on and as the the team gets its receivers back. And to your point, I’d expect Garoppolo to get put on the move significantly more in the coming weeks so he doesn’t have to sit behind the offensive line that looked creaky at center and right guard.
Lino asks: I know there’s been a lot of Jimmy G bashing after just one game, but who could the Niners target if they think he’s not the guy after this season?
No idea. The guy a lot of 49ers fans wanted to replace Garoppolo, Tom Brady, was worse than Garoppolo on Sunday. Brady threw two interceptions in Tampa Bay’s 34-23 loss in New Orleans.
Kirk Cousins signed an extension with the Vikings this offseason, likely taking that idea off the table. Do the 49ers want to go down the Jameis Winston route? Josh Rosen? Tank for a top draft pick? There aren’t many great options, which makes me think Garoppolo is going to be the long-term answer unless something catastrophic happens and the team turns to Nick Mullens.
That is, unless Aaron Rodgers becomes available. But if he plays like he did Sunday, it’s hard to imagine the Packers moving on even though they did just draft Jordan Love. I think Rodgers lasts in Green Bay through at least 2021.
Chris asks: Any chance the Niners try and trade for someone like a Beckham Jr to help this receiving core? And do you feel Jimmy G’s performance was due to an abnormal offseason and no preseason? Or is he struggling with Shanahan’s system?
I think there was a perfect storm surrounding Garoppolo leading to the poor play from him and the offense overall. Playing with a third-string center, who’s been with the team since late August, isn’t a great development. We’ve already mentioned the issues at receiver.
Though it’s also worth noting that a lot of guys the 49ers are counting on to play key roles -- Trent Taylor, Jerick McKinnon and Jordan Reed -- didn’t play last year. Sunday was their first action in a long, long time and it came after significantly fewer training camp reps and no preseason games, which they could have used to shake the rust.
As far as Beckham goes, I’d be shocked if they made a move like that. The 49ers need all their draft picks and cap space and adding Beckham would deplete them of both. I think they’ll continue drafting receivers every year and build the position group out that way.
Sam asks: Do you expect Jordan Reed to get more snaps this week? Is he being eased in?
Yes. Reed played 10 snaps Sunday in his first action since 2018. I think he could at least double up his snap total if he plays against the Jets, particularly while George Kittle deals with his knee sprain.
The 49ers worked Reed in slowly throughout training camp and I think that will continue during the first half of the regular season. I’d imagine they’re trying to get Reed to peak during the stretch and run and (gasp) the playoffs.
Juan asks: How many more stinkers can Jimmy G afford before getting the hook and how confident is Shanahan in Mullens? Is signing Rodgers realistic if Jimmy G stays inconsistent?
Garoppolo was bad, but he wasn’t only one of the reasons the 49ers lost. He didn’t allow the blocked punt or hit Murray late (twice) or fail to contain Murray on his long runs. Ask me again if San Francisco loses a one-score game where Garoppolo throws multiple interceptions while the rest of the team plays well.
Brian asks: How much impact did Joe Woods have in game with coverages? How has the team adapted to Tony Oden and has their been any noticeable difference in coaching style and impact between the two?
One of the things lost in this COVID-19 season is accessibility to players. These were the types of conversations reporters were able to have with players, on and off the record, when locker rooms were open. Access is limited to Zoom new conferences, which are far more formal and far less revealing.
That said, there were some noticeable differences in the way the secondary operated Sunday. First, there was Richard Sherman lining up to the field side of the formation, meaning he was switching to the wide side of the field depending on which hash mark the ball was spotted on. That’s different than the past when Sherman lined up almost exclusively on the left side. It looked as though he split time between the right and left sides. How does he feel about it? That’s unclear. We can ask him Thursday.
Also, there was the coverage breakdown on DeAndre Hopkins’ long reception in the fourth quarter that set up the game-deciding touchdown. Both Sherman and Shanahan said there was a miscommunication. Players on one side of the field were in one coverage while the others were in another.
I don’t know who’s to blame for that. But given Oden is the secondary coach, the responsibility falls on him. Those were the types of mistakes the secondary didn’t make last year after making them constantly in 2018.
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 7:30 AM.
