Are 49ers outmatched at QB in NFC West?
The first week proves nothing in the NFL, but that never stops the mad rush to judgment. Power rankings abound, and when it comes to the most important position on the field, the 49ers realize once again they’re operating in a very tough neighborhood.
As compelling as their quarterback situation might be, it probably ranks them fourth in the divisional field of four.
This isn’t to disparage Jimmy Garoppolo, a longtime favorite of this column, or the emerging Trey Lance. But coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t have a clear solution to this awkward pairing. We could be well into November and still not have an answer. And that puts San Francisco at a clear disadvantage in the NFC West.
The Rams and Seahawks rank third and fourth in the overall team evaluations by nfl.com, as well as many other outlets, and that’s a quarterback thing. Matthew Stafford’s arm — strength, variety, you name it — has blown away Rams coach Sean McVay, and although it cost L.A. two firstround draft picks and Jared Goff to acquire Stafford from Detroit, the Stafford-Goff comparisons have left the former Cal star in a pile of dust. As McVay put it last Sunday, as gently as he could, “You’re not limited in anything you can do with (Stafford) in the pass game.”
Russell Wilson didn’t take a single snap in the preseason, but he came out of the gate in vintage form as Seattle dispatched Indianapolis 28-16. He’s a seven-time Pro Bowler and a class act in every respect. Then there’s Arizona’s Kyler Murray, who put together a stunning pass-and-run highlight package in the Cardinals’ 38-13 rout of Tennessee. And when you talk about the NFL’s greatest athletes at the quarterback position, don’t stop with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Murray has to be in there someplace.
Not to despair, 49ers fans. It’s going to be a thoroughly entertaining season with plenty of wins. It’s just that a twoquarterback arrangement never leads to the promised land. And it should be a pretty wild ride in those six games against divisional opponents.
Here’s to grown men
My indelible image of the 2021 Giants and their remarkable story? This is a team of adults: responsible, trustworthy men who form an admirable collective. There are many ways to achieve a winning atmosphere, one of them being “a mixture of rowdies, neanderthals and degenerates, some of them deep into a drug habit, essentially representing an angry motorcycle gang about to terrorize a small town.” That’s how some liked to characterize the 1986 Mets, who have come so brilliantly to life this week in ESPN’s fourpart series, “Once Upon a Time in Queens,” while remembering that they happened to be one of the greatest teams ever assembled. That was an entirely different era; today’s aberrant behavior leans more toward gaudy showmanship and chest-thumping proclamations. But the Giants, thanks to Farhan Zaidi’s keen eye, manager Gabe Kapler’s steady hand and a crew of veterans who have seen it all before, rise above. Their accomplishments come with a distinct sense of humility. In the brief glimpses we got of their postseason-clinching celebration, nobody barged into a microphone yelling, “You clowns didn’t believe in us! Nobody gave us a chance! Whaddya think now?” It was, and will continue to be, a fine gathering of adults. Very refreshing . ... Cool moment passed along from someone who was there: Every member of that gigantic coaching staff, including the ground-breaking Alyssa Nakken, got thoroughly soaked in the joyful spray of beverages.
Still looking for a good reason why MLB abandoned its expansion to 40-man gameday rosters in September, choosing instead a 28-man limit. The parade of relief pitchers could get a little tiresome (A’s manager Bob Melvin averaged 5.2 relievers per game last September), but so much cool stuff is lost. September meant a chance for fans and teams to evaluate a halfdozen prospects who might make a difference someday — or right now. Those players need the exposure, not to mention a boost in lifestyle after traveling the minor leagues’ dusty roads (especially grim this season, with cheapskate teams forcing their minor leaguers to live in squalor.) If you have to designate 28 players for a given series, fine, but leave the roster options open. ... There’s something about Giants reliever Camilo Doval — the look, the electric stuff, the way he walks off the mound — that suggests he could be a presence in October. That’s if there’s any room. When it comes to bullpen depth, the Giants seem to be leaving most everyone behind. ... How’s this for a collision course: Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker going head-tohead in a White Sox-Astros AL Division Series (with Tampa Bay facing the wild-card winner). Some feel the While Sox will be disadvantaged with their overload of right-handed hitters, but La Russa could remind folks about his ’89 A’s lineup featuring Rickey Henderson, Carney Lansford, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Dave Henderson and
Terry Steinbach.
Good news on Dusty’s son,
Darren, hitting .347 in 72 minor-league at-bats through Thursday. He was promoted mid-season to Fredericksburg, Va., site of the Washington Nationals’ Low-A team, and is enjoying a visit from his mother, Melissa. “My first time seeing him play in the pros, before he heads to Instructional League,” she said via email. “He’s having fun, while learning and adjusting. He feels really good about how things are going for him.” ... It’s a pretty special treat to witness the “Nextiva Mound Meeting” when the Giants make a pitching change? Because without Nextiva — there’s no meeting? And that manager stays right in the dugout . ... Big, big test for the University of Oregon football team this week against Stony Brook. Up next, Whispering Maples.