Let’s cool it on Cousins talk and focus on current 49er QBs
Darting here and there …
Has there ever been more hot-air preoccupation about an athlete who doesn’t play here — and may never play here — than Kirk Cousins? Kirk, you’re killin’ us, bro, and you don’t even know it.
Or as our old friend, Washington general manager Bruce Allen, has repeatedly called him, “Curt” Cousins. Bruce learned that trick from Al Davis. Remember how Al butchered Bobby Petrino?
We haven’t watched enough of Cousins to determine whether he is the eventual long-term answer for the 49ers. All we know is he’s going to come at a very hefty price tag for a guy who has only played in two playoff games and didn’t win either one.
Another thing: If we’re waiting at least another year now that he has signed a 2017 franchise tag with Washington, Cousins will be 30 years old if and when he plays his first actual regular-season game for San Francisco. The guy they let walk, Colin Kaepernick, is only 29.
It all may play out at some point, but can we just table all the Cousins chatter and see what Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley and C.J. Beathard bring to the table first?
Hoyer’s passing yardage over four straight weeks in Chicago last year: 302, 397, 302, 317 … with six touchdowns, a 68.3 percent completion percentage and no interceptions. Yes, ahem, then he broke his arm after that stretch. But sorry, after Kaepernick, those kinds of numbers still intrigue the hell out of us.
As for the breaking news from Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan that Kyle Shanahan took too long to get the Super Bowl plays in, we say this: No worries about that around here, Kyle. Take your sweet time. We just want to see some plays that actually work.
We’ve never been inclined to say it often, but the way the baseball season has been going and the fact that the Warriors aren’t firing up for another couple months, we’re actually stoked about … NFL training camps! Blocking sleds! Hut-hut-hut! Yaaah!
Great to see Khalil Mack make the most natural endorsement hookup with Mack Trucks. The next obvious step: Khalil’s Mack and Cheese.
Intrigued to read in the Las Vegas ReviewJournal that construction has already begun on the Raiders’ vacant stadium site there … in the form of a homeless encampment.
Don’t know if he can play, but he has the best name on the Raiders’ training camp roster: linebacker Xavier WoodsonLuster. That moniker has special teams stud written all over it.
Speaking of Raiders names, we hope we can get these guys straight with time: Kelechi Osemele, Oni Omoile and Jamize Olawale. For now, just say ’em fast three times.
Fascinating that Kyrie Irving reportedly wants to be traded from Cleveland, with one of his preferred destinations being San Antonio. A Kawhi-Kyrie tandem sounds like no-brainer, right?
Waiting for Cleveland’s other shoe to drop now. That would be LeGone James.
The Timberwolves reportedly also are on Irving’s go-to list. Minnesota suddenly a hoops hotspot? Who would have believed that?
Meanwhile, Pau Gasol has signed on for three more years with the Spurs, by which time he will be 67. San Antone does love its old dudes.
Wait, the owner who just signed James Harden to that mega-deal and supposedly has Carmelo Anthony on the 2-yard line wants to sell the team now?
Stephen Curry tore it up in Lake Tahoe with the sticks. Next offseason tour stop: TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, against pros. We’re calling it now: Steph won’t finish last as Jerry Rice did in the same event a few years back.
Last word on Pablo Sandoval (hopefully): Suppose he comes to Sacramento and San Francisco and actually shows something. Then what? Sign him for next year? Chances are, it wouldn’t be for the minimum. And like he said, he has “options.”
Like Brian Wilson before him, Sergio Romo just never warmed to Dodger blue, and vice versa. No great shakes. Same went for Juan Marichal.
Not to be outdone with the Pablo reunion, the A’s brought back Chris Carter on a minor-league deal. Lots of homers, lots of strikeouts. Hey, no reason Carter can’t find a place in today’s game with that batting blueprint.
Finally, is this true? Our departing columnists Tim Kawakami and Marcus Thompson are going to the Athletics? That mastermind Billy Beane. He’ll try anything once. Contact Carl Steward at 925-943-8069.