Interesting Follows:

San Francisco 49ers

By: Michael A. Chase Jr.

8/17/2019

       While I support all the professional teams in the DMV area, I do tend to find a couple of teams outside the region who peak my interest. As each year there are teams that have intriguing rosters and compelling stories worth following. For me one of these teams I will be keeping my eye on this year is the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers are a team with a bevy of young talent that could be on the cusp of becoming a challenger in the NFC.

            The 49ers finished last season with a 4-12 record and 3rd in the NFC West division. Led by now 3rd year head coach Kyle Shanahan San Francisco looks to hopefully return to the winning form they have not seen in 6 years. What will lead to a winning campaign for 49ers is health across the roster, along with production from a bevy of sources.

            In terms of a healthy roster this all starts with starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo last season suffered a season ending knee injury in the 49ers third game of the season. Which began the derailing of San Francisco’s year, finishing with an eventual 4-12 record. For San Francisco to have any success this coming year Garoppolo needs to remain healthy. If he does the 49ers offense can flourish and the team will have its best chance to compete. Other key players who suffered injuries last year include their top two running backs in Jerick McKinnon and Matt Brieda which should really improve their running game. They also had injuries to receivers Pierre Garcon and Dante Pettis who both are huge playmakers in their passing game. Along with a host of defensive players including safeties Jimmie Ward, Adrian Colbert, Jaquiski Tartt, and corner Ahkello Witherspoon. As well as, linebackers Brock Coyle and Dekota Watson. This showcases just a few of the gluttony of injuries they dealt with last year. With all this talent returning the 49ers have a great chance to breakout this season. They will need continued health especially at the quarterback position to function at full capacity. Because the fact they managed to compete consistently with so many backup players playing last season is impressive. This experience for these players will be good for San Francisco’s depth going forward. Though it will be nice for Kyle Shanahan to have all his regular starters back and playing at a high level.

            San Francisco will be intriguing to watch because of all the young talent across their roster. As they have a bevy of young players who have shown flashes of great potential. Which is why for the 49ers to have a breakout year they need some of these players to step up or continue to produce. They need players on both sides of the ball to emerge to fulfill their potential as a group. Some of these players that fit into these categories include quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle, and wide receiver Dante Pettis on offense. Along with cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, linebacker Kwon Alexander, and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner on defense.

Starting with the offense the 49ers cannot go anywhere without solidifying the quarterback position. Which means they need health and development from $137.5 million dollars man Jimmy Garoppolo. In his 8 career starts with San Francisco Garoppolo has posted 13 total touchdowns, 8 interceptions, while completing 63.5% of his passes. He has also gone 6-2 in those 8 starts showing how big of an impact he makes in helping the 49ers results. It is a small sample size, but it shows that his presence and performance on the field is key to the 49ers competing and winning games. He is still a young quarterback with some growing pains to work through, but the talent is noticeable. Plus, under the continued tutelage of Kyle Shanahan he will further grow into the big time QB the 49ers need to accomplish their goals. For receiver Dante Pettis he could become a huge contributor to Garoppolo’s success. As he is a player San Francisco needs to emerge to give them another weapon on the outside. Pettis showed flashes of his talents during his rookie year posting 27 receptions, 467 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Including putting up 17 receptions for 338 yards along with four of his five touchdowns over a four-week span. His season was unfortunately ended early due to injury, but the potential was shown. Now having come back healthy this offseason Pettis seems primed for a breakout year. The 49ers will need it to take some attention away from speedster Marquise Goodwin on the other side. If Pettis becomes a more utilized target it will also help create even more opportunities for the final key player on this offense. This player is George Kittle who emerged last season as the top offensive weapon on the 49ers. As he posted 88 receptions for 1,377 yards and 5 touchdowns last season while playing with 3 different quarterbacks. Kittle needs to show he can somewhat repeat the production he provided last season. With many key offense players returning from injury as previously stated his touches and targets may slightly decline. He still can be a main target in this offense, working the seams and middle of the field at the high level he did last year. Kittle because of how physically gifted he is at the position can with another great year firmly insert himself into the top tight end in the league discussion. If this happens QB Jimmy Garoppolo will only benefit from having an elite target at tight end to got to at any time. This 49ers offense if these three players remain heathy and produce will be a formidable group. As they will have many different options who can hurt opponents on the field and be very explosive at every position.

The players that will be key to the 49ers defense becoming more formidable this coming year come from all three levels. As Ahkello Witherspoon, DeForest Buckner, and Kwon Alexander all can play a role in improving the defense. Beginning with corner Ahkello Witherspoon this second-year corner is another contributor returning from the injury list that could make a big impact on the back end. Being able to return a 6’2” 195 lbs. corner is a pretty good luxury and he could slot in as the starter opposite Richard Sherman. He will need to make a few more plays and help the defense create a couple more turnovers, but with renewed health and confidence this will come. He as a solid tackler will also help the run defense from the back end as well. Witherspoon at just 24 years old has more growing to do and though he should begin to become the strong starting corner they need. Defensive Linemen DeForest Buckner is coming off his best season as a pro finishing with 12 sacks and 59 total tackles. The key for him like tight end George Kittle is to prove he can replicate this breakout year this coming season. This is because going from 9 sacks total his first two years to 12 last year is a significant jump. Some of this may have been due to his growing comfort within the defensive scheme. It also shows that Buckner might finally have begun to live up to the pedigree of being a high first round pick 4 years ago. Either way Buckner must continue to trend upward with his production for the 49ers defense to make further strides. He should get help with guys like Solomon Thomas and Dee Ford providing protection around him. Buckner just needs to further become the disruptive force he can be, and he will help make the 49ers run defense and pass rush very effective this coming season. Linebacker Kwon Alexander could be a huge offseason add for this San Francisco defense. Coming over from Tampa Bay Alexander brings elite speed to the Linebacker position, a trait that is very important at the position today. He like many 49ers suffered an injury that cost him to miss all but 6 of the Buccaneers games last year. Alexander is on the smaller side of linebackers, though this aids his speed and ability to cover in space. He will help right away as a 3 down linebacker who will bring leadership and playmaking to the position. Providing the 49ers, a talent at a position they have not gotten much big play impact from during Shanahan’s tenure. He is a player that at just 25 years old if he plays well could become a fixture on defense worth keeping around long term to build with. In the end the 49ers need this defense to come together and become a strength this season. With help from these players mentioned this unit could take a huge step and become a top 10 defense in the NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers because of these players and storylines have me interested in what they will be as a team this year. A team that has dealt with such a mass amount of injuries yet has managed to play competitive football relatively speaking. A team with a Quarterback that while still unproven has been handsomely paid and expected to produce elite numbers. A team with a good young coach who hopes he can have a healthy roster for a full year to see what he can coach them to become. The 49ers are in a tough division in the NFC West with reigning NFC champs the Los Angels Rams and playoff participant the Seattle Seahawks as the main competition. That is why it will be intriguing to see how the 49ers stack up in the NFL landscape. Will they be a team that is still a year or so away from being playoff contenders? Or a team that will throw their hat in the ring of a highly competitive NFC Conference this year? Now we can as observes only wait and see what their season holds.