How SF can save season after bye
A pack of 49ers fans, fresh off an Arizona boys trip, proposed a question to me as we exited the airport Monday: Thumbs up or down on Trey Lance?
“Thumbs up,” I replied. “But no matter who’s at quarterback, the 49ers have other issues.”
Then we rattled off a few as we walked to our cars, reminiscing about fourth-down (and thirddown) calls that failed Sunday to listing off everinactive rookies, with almost everything circling back to Kyle Shanahan’s influence.
“Fire him!” said one of the airport gang, whom, I pointed out, was wearing Shanahan’s 2019 model red hat.
No one is getting fired during this bye week.
Well, not the coach. Cornerback Buster Skrine got terminated Monday, but that’s irrelevant, as will be the 49ers (2-3) if they don’t reverse a three-game losing streak.
Here are some ways to save and reverse their season, with 12 games to go:
1. QUARTERBACK COMMITMENT >> OK, I lied, the quarterback job is a pretty big deal. It just isn’t the cause of their woes, as an incohesive, undisciplined unit. That said, quarterback uncertainty is no way to go through a season.
Trey Lance’s knee sprain Sunday complicates matters, just as Jimmy Garoppolo’s calf injury Oct. 3 opened the door for Lance’s starting debut.
Yes, I could see Shanahan staying loyal to, if healthy, Jimmy Garoppolo. Cue the stat: Shanahan is 7-28 without Garoppolo starting, 24-10 with him. Garoppolo isn’t healthy, however.
Can a calf injury truly keep this franchise in limbo? Can a sprained knee? So much for insulating yourself at the position.
Lance isn’t an instant classic. He will learn on the job. And he will bring an electrifying element that’s been missing.
2. FOLLOW BOSA’S LEAD >> Nick Bosa’s five sacks are the 49ers’ most through five games since Bryant Young in 2005. Bosa is their defensive leader-byexample.
He is playing 70 percent of the snaps, and doing so on a rebuilt knee. He is also transitioning into a subtly candid speaker, with engagements every Thursday and postgame.
The better Bosa plays, the better that will rub off on the defensive front, which is the engine that makes this team go.
3. FOLLOW DEEBO’S LEAD >> No offensive player is having a better season than Deebo Samuel, even after Sunday’s sub-par receiving effort (two drops, three-of-nine targets caught).
Samuel plays so hard, with so much physicality and passion. He is, for now, their Plan B catalyst (Plan A to be revealed soon).
4. RUSHING REVIVAL >> Shanahan would be wise to dust off his run-game playsheet, presuming reinforcements arrive to complement rookie rushers Elijah Mitchell and Trey Sermon, the latter of whom was noticeably absent until a last-drive carry Sunday.
Raheem Mostert isn’t returning this season, but the 49ers have been down that road before. They’re hoping JaMycal Hasty (ankle) returns next week after the bye, but Jeff Wilson Jr. (knee) is still out until late November.
5. COACHING METTLE >> Never has Shanahan come under so much fire, albeit from fans and media rather than in-house detractors. Check that, there was a Super Bowl collapse that drew scorn. Since then, the 49ers have lost 13-of-21 games.
Shanahan’s supporters can counter with this stat: He is 31-38 overall, the same record as Bill Walsh, who did have a ring to show for that start of his 49ers’ tenure.