Latest / 49ers Rush Podcast with John Chapman / 2026 49ers Better or Worse Than 2025

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2026 49ers Better or Worse Than 2025 · 49ers Rush Podcast with John Chapman

0:02
[SPEAKER_00]: time for the 49ers rush podcast.
0:30
[SPEAKER_00]: And here's your host, John Chapman.
0:35
[SPEAKER_02]: What is going on faithful and is absolutely incredible to be with you guys.
0:39
[SPEAKER_02]: It's the coach approach and with me on most Thursdays almost every Thursday.
0:43
[SPEAKER_02]: The man and for 49ers cut back and how we do on today, man.
0:47
[SPEAKER_01]: doing great.
0:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm excited for the show.
0:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm excited to see everybody's comments as we start going through this, you know, the 49ers faithful.
0:56
[SPEAKER_01]: They're rocking all off season.
0:58
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been great.
0:58
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I got to give a lot of credit to them.
1:00
[SPEAKER_01]: They still come through with a great comments.
1:02
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, still been coming in and checking out the channels.
1:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Some good content coming out to you.
1:06
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, John and Wayne show was on Tuesday.
1:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I got to check out some of that.
1:09
[SPEAKER_01]: That was good.
1:10
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, it's it's good time.
1:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Just good vibes for the 49ers.
1:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm excited to be here talking to you, John, about the 49ers roster.
1:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this is one of the fun things that you get to evaluate during this stretch.
1:21
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people will go to other things, but actually digging into the roster, it's what I really love.
1:26
[SPEAKER_01]: And so that's what we're gonna do.
1:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And this one, it can kind of comparing it to last year, which it's gonna be fun.
1:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Cause last year's roster, little shaky at some spots.
1:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Did the 49ers really upgrade the option?
1:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's a fun conversation.
1:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, the age old adage did you get better or did you get worse?
1:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Can't stay the same?
1:41
[SPEAKER_02]: It's either you're growing or you're dying.
1:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Get busy living or get busy dying.
1:47
[SPEAKER_02]: A Shawshank reference right there for good love at Andy Detroit.
1:50
[SPEAKER_02]: So what we're going to do is we're going to go a position by position through the offense and defense and we're going to decide.
1:57
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I went through and tallied mine, whether the $40 got better compared to last year or worse,
2:05
[SPEAKER_02]: little nuanced, a little more nuanced than I thought it would be.
2:08
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm curious to see kind of how Ant came through with this.
2:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we don't know each other's results.
2:14
[SPEAKER_02]: So we're going to see here.
2:15
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's got to be fun.
2:16
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right.
2:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, thirsty Thursday.
2:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Hashtag CC.
2:18
[SPEAKER_02]: What's up Shane?
2:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Appreciate you guys.
2:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, and the building.
2:21
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right, man.
2:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Deeper equals better.
2:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Hashtag that's what she said.
2:25
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to stay away from that.
2:27
[SPEAKER_02]: We're just going to keep rolling.
2:28
[SPEAKER_02]: So
2:31
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, so did the quarterback room get better or worse this year.
2:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Now it's relatively the same.
2:39
[SPEAKER_02]: You only had two quarterbacks make the initial 53 band roster last season.
2:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Matt Jones and Brock party, but they kept Adrian Martinez and you also had Curtis Roark, who was just on NFI the entire year.
2:52
[SPEAKER_02]: it's the same for culprit.
2:54
[SPEAKER_02]: So did you give the 49ers a better or worse at the quarterback position?
2:59
[SPEAKER_02]: And I do have to also include in this, sorry, a miss this.
3:02
[SPEAKER_02]: The caveat here is start of the season roster.
3:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Injuries, in season entries do not factor into our equation.
3:09
[SPEAKER_02]: We are
3:11
[SPEAKER_02]: put it on our blockers or blinders.
3:13
[SPEAKER_02]: So like the Bose entry, the Fred Warner entry, does not matter for this conversation.
3:18
[SPEAKER_02]: It is the roster at hand heading into the season.
3:21
[SPEAKER_02]: So quarterback position better or worse.
3:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's better.
3:25
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
3:26
[SPEAKER_01]: You look at it and rock pretty easy.
3:28
[SPEAKER_01]: he's really good and I think that he's going to continue to be really good.
3:31
[SPEAKER_01]: But where it gets a little bit better is Mac Jones is going to have a second season within this offense, which means Mac Jones is going to be a more capable backup even than he was last year.
3:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that that's huge for the 49ers.
3:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And any time that a player gets kind of into year two with the Chanahan system, that's usually where you see a jump.
3:48
[SPEAKER_01]: So I feel like they're going to be even more comfortable.
3:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Brock going into your five Mac Jones, you're going to year two of this system.
3:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you've got a one two punch that you got to feel really comfortable with.
3:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think this is the best quarter back room the 49ers have had in a long time.
4:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's even with the 49ers having the guy like Sam Darnl.
4:04
[SPEAKER_01]: He never had the opportunity to get in this offense for a couple of years.
4:08
[SPEAKER_01]: and really figure out all the nuance to it.
4:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Then you add in Curtis Rourke.
4:11
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think Curtis Rourke is a talented player.
4:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know exactly where he's going to fit when the 53 man roster comes down.
4:18
[SPEAKER_01]: But you got to like the fact that you have another young guy like this four years, I haven't had this since 2022, and Brock Perty was that young cat that they were kind of looking at and saying, hey, could this guy make the roster?
4:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think top to bottom, depth wise, Matt Jones being better.
4:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the quarterback room is better than it was in 2025.
4:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I went with better as well.
4:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Just the idea of Brock and Mac, having more time in the system as you alluded to, but also Curtis Warwick had no chance to play in last year.
4:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Now he has not looked good, but that is okay.
4:48
[SPEAKER_02]: The fact that you have Adrian Martinez there and you have Curtis Warwick there, just the better depth, you have four options instead of three, we'll see how it pants out.
4:57
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's a slide up tick and again,
5:01
[SPEAKER_02]: the way Brock pretty ended that season.
5:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, just his play was just ascending ascending ascending and you're like, well, man, you look at those two Seattle games and they put didn't put up any points.
5:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Go watch the Seattle blow out.
5:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Brock pretty was playing by himself.
5:14
[SPEAKER_02]: The Brock pretty did not have a bad game.
5:16
[SPEAKER_02]: He was forcing some things late in the second half, but like he was getting through his reads.
5:20
[SPEAKER_02]: It just had no help.
5:22
[SPEAKER_02]: He had no help.
5:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, so I had better as well.
5:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Now running backs,
5:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Last year, you had Christian McCaffrey, Brian Robertson Jr., who we want to include in this conversation.
5:32
[SPEAKER_02]: You trade for him just before the season.
5:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Jordan James, Isaac Garendo,
5:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Better or worse for the running back position, compared to last year.
5:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I think right now with so much improvement with Jordan James and with Katelyn Black, I went with a downgrade right now, you know, a little bit worse, only because they're unproven.
5:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that they have the opportunity to be better, but Brian Robinson was a proven commodity.
5:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Know what you were going to get from him, especially in interior run plays.
5:59
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a proven veteran that you knew you could count on to go in there and towed the rock
6:04
[SPEAKER_01]: The 49ers might end up being better, Katelyn Black might end up being what everyone says he is and Jordan James may end up being But everyone says but right now with the unknowns going in to the season I would have to say that it's not quite as good as it was last year and I
6:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't even think the depth, you know, I mean, Garendo was coming off a pretty good rookie season.
6:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So people were pretty optimistic about that.
6:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Now you've got Patrick Taylor and I don't know what to expect from Patrick Taylor other than good special teams.
6:31
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, so I'm worried about the depth of the very end and then just, you know, can these young guy step up.
6:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they'll have the potential to blow Brian Robinson and that group out of the water, but right now I would say with the unknowns.
6:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going with it's a little bit worse than it was last year.
6:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I had worse for the running backs as well and one of the biggest factors for me was Christian McCaffrey being a year older.
6:53
[SPEAKER_02]: He's now 30 years old and, you know, the burst definitely is not the same.
6:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Will he take another step back in the burst category?
7:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I know the efficiency category still level 10 out of 10 and you're hoping to see that, but did get banged up at that Seattle game.
7:08
[SPEAKER_02]: It didn't have many 10 plus yard rush attempts at all throughout
7:13
[SPEAKER_02]: A Brian Robinson, I would take probably over-jorded James and Katelyn Black at this moment, but we'll have to see.
7:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I think where they got better is the running back, you know, maybe not even running back three, because you had Brian Robinson, I went, I went worse here as well, even though you did spend a third round pick, which Calshita hand always seems to do, it's just what it is.
7:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Kipro says running backs may be worse with the wear and tear on CMC, yeah, that's kind of what I was alluding to as well.
7:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, so yeah, and love all black by all of counts, maybe a better version of Garendo.
7:46
[SPEAKER_02]: I still like Garendo, not sure why he wasn't utilized.
7:48
[SPEAKER_02]: He has no vision and fumbling issues.
7:51
[SPEAKER_02]: That's why.
7:52
[SPEAKER_02]: And then the entries never made it through a training camp.
7:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Not going to make it through this training camp with the torn peck.
7:57
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't get reps. You don't improve.
8:00
[SPEAKER_02]: K-Lon Black, they're about to say, Bage.
8:03
[SPEAKER_02]: K-Lon Black, we'll have to see.
8:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Obviously, my least favorite draft pick, there are some that loved it, Larry Kruger loved it.
8:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know, I keep hanging my hat on K-Lon Black as this kind of Neo Matrix, you know, whatever, because he's gonna be the one that bucks the trend.
8:20
[SPEAKER_02]: He's gonna finally wake it up.
8:22
[SPEAKER_02]: He have to have a third round running back that works eventually.
8:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Why can't it be K-Lon Black?
8:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, I think he fits with what Bobby Turner wants is a running bag.
8:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I really do.
8:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I think when you look at his statue of the way he's built, I mean, this dude is built for a lot of carries and he's he's doing some things out of the back.
8:38
[SPEAKER_01]: So I like what I see just a limited things that we've saw so far.
8:42
[SPEAKER_01]: You're going back and watching some of his James Madison film.
8:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I think.
8:45
[SPEAKER_01]: makes you feel a lot more comfortable with him being more of a dual threat of guy that can do some things out of the backfield.
8:50
[SPEAKER_01]: But they're going back to more traditional style, Kyle Shanahan running backs, that 50 outside zone scheme can run inside and then you'll catch the ball a little bit.
8:57
[SPEAKER_01]: But there's no Christian McAfrey's out there.
9:00
[SPEAKER_01]: There's no other guys like this.
9:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they're looking at going back to what they used to get and how they used to play with Bobby Turner.
9:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's a
9:06
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a good way to go.
9:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're going to get solid running backs.
9:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think Jordan James and Caleb Black are going to add the thing they're going to take some of the load off Christian McAfrey, but how much Brian Robinson couldn't get as much touches and as much time on the field, because he couldn't catch the ball consistently and they needed that threat.
9:22
[SPEAKER_01]: can other players help take the burden off running back.
9:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it can, you know, Mike Evans and guys like that, make it a little easier.
9:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Those guys to be more traditional running backs instead of getting so much attention from opposing defenses and having use them as chess pieces.
9:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that will benefit them as well.
9:36
[SPEAKER_01]: So I look for those guys to have some opportunities, but who are they going to beat?
9:39
[SPEAKER_01]: We do know Jordan James beat out Isaac Rendo.
9:42
[SPEAKER_01]: That's great news.
9:42
[SPEAKER_01]: He beat him out during the season.
9:44
[SPEAKER_01]: That means that they're moving into positive direction.
9:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that battle between Katelyn Black,
9:48
[SPEAKER_01]: and Jordan James is going to be a fireworks during the during training camp.
9:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm excited to hear what everyone says, how they look out there.
9:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's going to be one of the fun ones, because Chris should be covering that practice very much.
9:59
[SPEAKER_02]: So they're going to get a lot of reps. And now I think Rindo's injured.
10:02
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's going to be a whole bunch of Jordan James and a whole bunch of Caleb and Black.
10:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Now you don't get it go to the ground.
10:08
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a little bit different.
10:09
[SPEAKER_02]: And Brady's Brace says, chapter you think Black will be the RB2.
10:13
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's what they want, but man, I'm hanging my hat on Jordan James.
10:18
[SPEAKER_02]: He knows the system.
10:18
[SPEAKER_02]: He looked good against Seattle.
10:20
[SPEAKER_02]: What no other running back has looked good against Seattle.
10:23
[SPEAKER_02]: I know it's small like four carries, whatever, that matter.
10:25
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it was seven carries, but I'm going to Jordan James, but I would be very happy if Black won that race because that means now you have three capable running backs right now it are you only have to a little bit of a question mark on Black.
10:38
[SPEAKER_02]: I didn't have a draft full grade on him.
10:40
[SPEAKER_02]: The more I watch them the more I
10:43
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll just have to see.
10:44
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, there's not a lot of 25-year-old rookie runny backs in the NFL.
10:48
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll have to see how he goes, but he's got to hit the ground running.
10:51
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't get a weight till year three or four and have a 29-year-old rookie contract running back.
10:57
[SPEAKER_02]: He's got to show up.
10:59
[SPEAKER_02]: So we got to see that.
11:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Look at all I care about is all our running backs are better than Isaac Garendo.
11:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
11:05
[SPEAKER_02]: That's easy.
11:07
[SPEAKER_02]: that's easy to me, um law of all right, uh, but he has that speed talking about K-Long Black.
11:12
[SPEAKER_02]: He's still on the team.
11:13
[SPEAKER_02]: So Bobby Turner must like him and he could coach the issues out of him.
11:16
[SPEAKER_02]: What we'll see what happens with Isaac Rendo.
11:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I, I'm just, I don't know.
11:23
[SPEAKER_02]: And now right here Shane, he's talking about running back by committee.
11:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to put that like less than 2% chance that that takes place.
11:32
[SPEAKER_02]: Again, Kyle Shanahan will will Christian McAfrey's dead cardalike body out there on third down to run an option route.
11:39
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just what it's going to be.
11:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, I think it's for us running back by committee.
11:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they go back to to that per se.
11:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I just meant the style of runner when you look at some of the the kind of the Mike Shane hand style of runners, the old land is Gary's the Mike Anderson like these were the kind of guys they built their, you know, built upon.
11:58
[SPEAKER_01]: These guys that are there are big and physical can break tackles guys like that.
12:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's kind of what I'm looking at I would love to get a little bit of running back by committee and I'll be honest once Christian McAfrey eventually, you know, retirees that is the kind of running back room they're going to go back to.
12:14
[SPEAKER_01]: They will go back to running back by committee.
12:15
[SPEAKER_01]: It will always be a two headed monster.
12:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Kyle Shania loves having the kind of different guys and whoever gets a hot hand kind of roll them at them.
12:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So that'll be eventual, but not as long as Christian McAfrey's the number one guys
12:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I like it.
12:27
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, let's move on to the tight-end position, usual suspects last year, George Kittle, Jake Tongis, Luke Farrell, or the three tight-ends that you were kept.
12:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Besides Khalil Dinkens, you have added nobody to this room, tight-end room, better or worse than last season.
12:46
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... i think it has to be worse right now i i don't i don't think that they improved enough uh... you know and i think that i do think tikton just is going to be better uh... but i think that they haven't been able to address that third tide in that blocking tide in position which is very pivotal for this forty-nir's offense and if you ask me over the last two years what's been the biggest drawback it's been the loss of Charlie Warner
13:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Charlie Warner of what he was capable of doing within the offense and blocking in line or blocking has a move tied in he was phenomenal and the things he added to this offense really opened up the run game that's why 2023 was so good on the ground I put a lot of that on Charlie Warner and what he was capable of doing
13:22
[SPEAKER_01]: they've never been able to replace that.
13:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't think Khalil Denkins is going to be the answer in year one to take over Luke Farrell.
13:29
[SPEAKER_01]: So that means you're still going to have Farrell on the field.
13:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Is he going to block better than he did last year?
13:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
13:34
[SPEAKER_01]: It was inconsistent at best.
13:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm hoping that he can have an uptick.
13:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that that Tom just is going to be better, but I also think George Kiddles is going to start on the populist.
13:43
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, you're going to you're starting guys at first are going to be Tom just and Luke Farrell.
13:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And they might only roll
13:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think that that doesn't change, um, and yeah, and the Tories says that you guys see Kittal run out tight in you.
13:59
[SPEAKER_02]: He's looking good to be back shout out to Brad Graham flying out there and getting that coverage like, okay, I've coached you've coached.
14:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Kittal looks good and I like where he's at.
14:13
[SPEAKER_02]: But for the people watching those videos, it'd be like, oh, he's played week one 100%.
14:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just like, man, I don't think so.
14:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Like how ginger it is, the explosiveness,
14:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't see this, he looked good.
14:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not saying he didn't look good.
14:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm saying it's still very, very ginger and that explosiveness.
14:32
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think it's going to return for quite a while.
14:34
[SPEAKER_02]: I hope that I am wrong.
14:36
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm still, those videos did not convince me that, yeah, kiddles in alien, but he's a 32-year-old alien.
14:43
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's in the killies.
14:44
[SPEAKER_02]: How many people come back from that the first year, it's usually an 18-month issue to get back your explosiveness?
14:52
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going worse as well.
14:53
[SPEAKER_02]: So like we both had where we're three for three, we had quarterbacks better, running backs worse, tight ends worse.
14:59
[SPEAKER_02]: That's where we're at now.
15:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Now real quick, just update, we are gonna be having our Zoom Hangout session over on the 40AzureS.com and our Patreon channel.
15:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Monday, the 29th at 5pm, where we get to talk all things off season, which I'm super pumped about.
15:13
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you guys have not yet the best way to support 40Azure's cutback is to go check out their Patreon.
15:18
[SPEAKER_02]: What are you working on on your Patreon right now, yeah?
15:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
15:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I've been putting along on standalone videos.
15:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I've also been doing some of the rookie breakdown still.
15:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm still finishing rookie breakdowns, but I've been taking a deep deep dive and looking at those guys.
15:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I got one left.
15:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you want to watch all my rookie breakdowns, those are all available minus the last guy, Mr. Cruz, who I have all the all the stuff ready for.
15:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I just have to record it.
15:42
[SPEAKER_01]: That'll be going up sometime this week.
15:44
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, I've been trying to
15:50
[SPEAKER_01]: something interesting.
15:51
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of content over there.
15:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Go check it out.
15:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I love it, man.
15:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Support it, support the cutback, go subscribe, whichever way you can.
15:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Cost you nothing to go subscribe, even if you're not on Spotify or YouTube, whatever.
16:01
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16:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Go check out the 49ers cutback wherever you watch and or listen.
16:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Shout out to the man, Wadgar CFD out there making the world better.
16:12
[SPEAKER_02]: He is a doctor.
16:13
[SPEAKER_02]: He says at his age,
16:16
[SPEAKER_02]: It's better for kiddo not to rush into weight for October.
16:19
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's just a base too much since, man.
16:23
[SPEAKER_02]: And right here, Shane says, you know, he's running at 16 miles per hour, he's a 19 to 20 mile per hour guy.
16:28
[SPEAKER_02]: All positives.
16:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I'm not saying the workouts are negative.
16:33
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm saying, I didn't see anything in those workout things that were just like, oh, yeah, he's got to be ready in 77 days to play football 100%.
16:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Those Achilles just takes a while, do not rush him out there, do not rush him out there, do not rush him out there.
16:49
[SPEAKER_02]: All right.
16:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's go to the offensive line, the most important positions in football.
16:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's start.
16:55
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to break this up into two things,
17:02
[SPEAKER_02]: The 49ers kept the usual suspects, Trent Williams, Cole to be Kivets.
17:07
[SPEAKER_02]: They had Spencer Burford, which was kind of a utility player in Austin Pleasants.
17:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Those were the four that they had last year.
17:15
[SPEAKER_02]: This year, they go out, being a lot more depth, draft Enrique Cruz, bring in Vidarian low, you still have Austin Pleasants.
17:24
[SPEAKER_02]: What are your thoughts with the tackle position offensive tackle position better or worse?
17:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's better.
17:30
[SPEAKER_01]: The addition of a dairy and low was huge for this football team.
17:33
[SPEAKER_01]: You got a legit swing tackle now and we talked about it.
17:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Austin Pleasant was part of this 53 man roster last year.
17:39
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a chance he doesn't make this team, which means you got a lot better at depth wise.
17:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Cruz is an interesting player.
17:45
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll see if he ends up making the roster.
17:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's going to be tough sledding for those tackles.
17:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Trent is still going to be Trent.
17:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's still going to be good.
17:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Colton McKibitz finds ways to get a little bit better in certain areas every single year.
17:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that those guys are going to continue to play as well as they played.
18:00
[SPEAKER_01]: But that edition of the area in low because Trent Williams is an evidently going to miss two or three games a season and they need a guy that can step in and Austin Pleasant he played admirably last year.
18:11
[SPEAKER_01]: But make no mistake.
18:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Vaderion low is a very successful player.
18:14
[SPEAKER_01]: He's been a good backup in this league.
18:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think he could step right in and get the 49ers through those two or three games.
18:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this is the offensive tackle equivalent of Mac Jones last year stepping in for Brock Pertis.
18:25
[SPEAKER_01]: A guy that can just get it done.
18:26
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't have to worry about it.
18:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that that was a huge upgrade and then I am curious about what's going to happen with crews and and how good is going to be I love the athleticism, I love the upside and so I think that, you know, those guys all together is a much deeper, better offensive tackle room.
18:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Even if the starters didn't get a lot better or maybe even Trent takes a little step back, we'll see I still think the room as a whole is better.
18:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's funny whenever I started this practice right now line it was better worse or same.
18:56
[SPEAKER_02]: And I had this as the same, because I'm with you to Tories here he says, you know, Trent's 37 this year, not 39, but you're getting older tackles, you got Colt to be kids, he's 30 plus you've got 37 year old Trent, like, yeah, he was an all pro player last year, second team, but you're getting older at the starters.
19:16
[SPEAKER_02]: But that depth, man, the first offense of tackle you drafted in a five consecutive drafts and Riquek Cruz, he's not even gonna be your swing guy.
19:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Vaderian low is way better than anybody you've had as the number three tackle since maybe she had a hint's been here.
19:31
[SPEAKER_02]: So you have that depth that if Trent does miss time, which he usually does, or cool to be given to goes down what he usually does not, you actually have capable guys to go up and step in and play.
19:44
[SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, I struggled with this one because I had it at the same, but I put better as well because of the depth, the depth is huge, it's the implication.
19:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Sorry, it's always sunny.
19:58
[SPEAKER_02]: We were my son.
19:59
[SPEAKER_02]: We just go back and forth with the always sunny references.
20:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I apologize, everybody out there.
20:03
[SPEAKER_02]: All right.
20:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's kick it inside.
20:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's go interior offensive lineman.
20:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Now.
20:09
[SPEAKER_02]: You had Dominique Poonie.
20:11
[SPEAKER_02]: You had Connor Colby Spencer Burford who played some time there.
20:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Jake Brindle, Ben Barge, Drew Moss.
20:17
[SPEAKER_02]: You look at it this year.
20:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Man, Robert Jones.
20:21
[SPEAKER_02]: You had a Brett Toth.
20:22
[SPEAKER_02]: You draft Carver Willis.
20:25
[SPEAKER_01]: what are your thoughts better worse interior offensive line i think this is one of the the most difficult you know i mean you got players that are added for players potentially they're gonna go start at left tackle i i think the one thing i was looking at with twenty twenty five
20:40
[SPEAKER_01]: was the fact that I didn't have a lot of faith in Ben Bartz because of the injury.
20:44
[SPEAKER_01]: So I wasn't sold on that position last year either.
20:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think when you put that baseline, you can look at this.
20:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And there's a couple of guys that I think give me some optimism for 2026.
20:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Robert Jones is one of those guys that gives me optimism.
20:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I think.
20:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Brett Toth as well is where I know what their baseline is.
21:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I know we're going to get play at least at this level.
21:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm going to say the room is better because I know what those guys are as a baseline.
21:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I know I can at least get this play at a Brett Toth and I'm putting a lot of value in him because I do think that he's a
21:14
[SPEAKER_01]: He's good.
21:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Connor Kobe's going to be better than he was last year, and I just didn't have a lot of faith in Ben Bartstein, healthy.
21:20
[SPEAKER_01]: So the whole time I was wondering, hey, who's going to actually step in at left guard when Ben Bartstein goes down?
21:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And these, these guys are upgrades over Nick's account.
21:28
[SPEAKER_01]: These guys are upgrades over Spencer Burford.
21:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Robert Jones has started 17 games for Miami Dolphins.
21:33
[SPEAKER_01]: It did a pretty good job.
21:34
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think Brett Toath with just looking at what he did in Philadelphia.
21:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I think that he's just a better player.
21:39
[SPEAKER_01]: So I have a little bit of confidence in those guys.
21:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the depth is better at the position.
21:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I think there's still questions who's going to start.
21:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be Conor Kobe?
21:46
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be Robert Jones, Brett Tauff, who's it going to be?
21:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know for sure, but I do know that there's a baseline that's better than what it was last year.
21:53
[SPEAKER_01]: In fact, I think all three of those guys can be better than what we were going to get from Ben Bartz, whether he was healthier or not last year.
21:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, um, and I will add.
22:02
[SPEAKER_02]: man you actually had a couple highlight plays from the center last year like that took place it's been a while since we felt that way the play was about consistently the same but there were some positives a lot more positives from the center position i went worse just because you're getting aging center i'm not the biggest believer in carver willus for this year i think he's a multi-year developmental play which is fine because they see them as a center eventually um i do
22:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I think he's going to win that battle.
22:31
[SPEAKER_02]: I was a big Matt Hennessy guy and I remember when Matt Hennessy came in against the giants and the 40 Aaron said they're best rushing performance and then benched him after dominating, uh, freaking, Dexter Lawrence all game.
22:44
[SPEAKER_02]: I was just like, what is happening here, but anyway, I digress.
22:47
[SPEAKER_02]: So I actually went worse, but I I toggle this one back and forth and I don't want to change it just because it made some good points and you know, totally made me want to change it, but I'm not going to change it because if I change it, then I lost you know what I mean, so I'm going to keep it because I'm stubborn, but you're you're right, and I know you're right.
23:04
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, this one's going to be easy.
23:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Better or worse than that group last year.
23:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, leaps and bounds better.
23:22
[SPEAKER_01]: The Mike Evans edition on itself is so huge.
23:26
[SPEAKER_01]: What he's going to bring to this offense is going to be ridiculous.
23:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I did a stand-alone video about that yesterday on YouTube.
23:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Just the effect that he's going to have on the four years of offense.
23:34
[SPEAKER_01]: The effect he's going to have on the four years of defense.
23:37
[SPEAKER_01]: He's just the complete pack.
23:38
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a legit X receiver.
23:40
[SPEAKER_01]: the first one, the Kyle Shannon has had that is an impact player that can change the game until the defense to him.
23:46
[SPEAKER_01]: But he's had since Julio Jones.
23:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So it can show you the impact that Mike Evans can have.
23:50
[SPEAKER_01]: But it didn't stop there.
23:51
[SPEAKER_01]: You bring in Christian Kirk, which that was such a sneaky good move because Christian Kirk is a guy that's been doing it in this league.
23:58
[SPEAKER_01]: He's got a really big contract in his career.
24:00
[SPEAKER_01]: But this is a guy that knows how to operate within the offense.
24:03
[SPEAKER_01]: He knows where to be when he's supposed to be there.
24:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And he's just a good solid veteran.
24:10
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think that I think Cowwing and Jordan walk into one of those guys can kind of take over that sky more role and do good enough and then to John Stripling a really extreme talent.
24:21
[SPEAKER_01]: He got so much faster at the position.
24:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, this one is this one was pretty easy.
24:25
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a huge upgrade for the 49ers.
24:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're expecting dividends early.
24:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think they're going to get them.
24:30
[SPEAKER_01]: This team is a lot better at the wide receiver position.
24:33
[SPEAKER_01]: That's for sure.
24:34
[SPEAKER_02]: I like that right here now J.A.V.
24:36
[SPEAKER_02]: says you forgot.
24:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Kendrick Port.
24:37
[SPEAKER_02]: He actually did make the initial 53.
24:39
[SPEAKER_02]: He came in later through the veteran practice quad promotion, whatever, but yeah, this one's head and shoulders better.
24:46
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't even think it's close.
24:49
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just maybe one of the biggest and it's the biggest improvement room on the team by far without a doubt, you know, I kept saying, last year on the playoff run, this is the worst wide receiver core in the playoffs.
25:00
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not close.
25:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe Buffalo, you could have had those arguments, but it was just rough.
25:05
[SPEAKER_02]: And what you put out there against Seattle,
25:07
[SPEAKER_02]: cash repair saw zero catches it was just oh it was gross so much better so much better so much better all right let's switch it over to the defensive side of the ball is good defensive ends now you look at what they had last year uh Nick Bosa you had a tier growth model Samo McEl Williams
25:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And you traded for Bryce Huff, also had Robert Bill, RIP, he's not out there no more.
25:32
[SPEAKER_02]: But like compared to last year, at this point, and again, Mikael Williams, Nick Bosa, their ACL didn't factor into it last season.
25:41
[SPEAKER_02]: It does this season, though.
25:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm still going to go with a better.
25:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that you look at Keyon White, you know, the fact that you got him added into the mix, Kim sample adds a lot of depth as well to this football team.
25:53
[SPEAKER_01]: That's kind of where I'm looking at a lot of the build is is the death.
25:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I think when you look at Samo, he keeps getting better and better.
26:00
[SPEAKER_01]: So these guys are improving.
26:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Keyon White's got more of a feel of this defense now and how he's going to operate within it.
26:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And I do think that Nick Bost is going to be ready week one.
26:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I think McCell Williams.
26:10
[SPEAKER_01]: is going to be ready either week one or shortly after probably week four, you know, come back off the public.
26:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's going to be very good for this football team.
26:17
[SPEAKER_01]: We've already seen the impact.
26:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And now he's had a, you know, off season the work.
26:21
[SPEAKER_01]: He's also had a full season to get the mental part of it.
26:24
[SPEAKER_01]: How he fits, how he plays, how Chris Kacerick wants to look play.
26:27
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think top to bottom that defensive in room is is better.
26:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you throw in the fact that you had
26:35
[SPEAKER_01]: is a very dangerous player for the 49ers as far as what he could do off the edge.
26:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he's going to make things a little bit easier for this 49ers pass for us.
26:43
[SPEAKER_01]: So I like Ramello, height more than I like Bryce Huff last year.
26:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that this is a very solid move.
26:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this guy wins with speed and electric speed.
26:52
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think he's going to be dynamic.
26:53
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think top to bottom, I like this defensive end room more than I did last year, even with both
27:00
[SPEAKER_02]: There we go.
27:01
[SPEAKER_02]: As you look at Shane bringing out the make quote, greasy, fast lightning speed.
27:06
[SPEAKER_02]: We're gonna eat lightning.
27:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I got a crap thunder.
27:09
[SPEAKER_02]: What's so good to do with the chicken, though?
27:12
[SPEAKER_02]: I forget a love rocky man.
27:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I put worse.
27:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, and the main reason why I went worse, I didn't know such a pessimistic until I hung out with aunt, but that's okay, this is good, this is good for our relationship.
27:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Just because the Nick Bosa and Michaela Williams, you're too starting defensive ends coming off the ACL.
27:32
[SPEAKER_02]: I expect Bosa to be back a lot earlier.
27:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Michaela, I think it's gonna take some time.
27:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Ramello, height.
27:39
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm cool with him being better than Bryce, no doubt about that, and he took gross bottles for his key on white.
27:46
[SPEAKER_02]: I obviously would prefer key on white.
27:48
[SPEAKER_02]: I was the biggest out on he took gross bottles there, but he's coming off a gunshot wound.
27:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So like, I don't know.
27:56
[SPEAKER_02]: I like the room.
27:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you told me, both in Michele were healthy, I'm with you better.
28:01
[SPEAKER_02]: But because of the ACLs, I went worse here.
28:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I do it.
28:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just telling you.
28:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Y'all never told me that was so negative.
28:08
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel negative out here.
28:09
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, let's go defense attack.
28:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I think this is gonna be an easy one.
28:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Last year, 2025, your starters were Jordan, Elliott, and Khalia Davis.
28:20
[SPEAKER_02]: You also had Alfred Collins, C.J.
28:21
[SPEAKER_02]: West, they're back.
28:25
[SPEAKER_02]: outside of that man.
28:26
[SPEAKER_02]: You made a lot of key additions.
28:29
[SPEAKER_02]: How do you rank the defensive tackle room better or worse?
28:32
[SPEAKER_01]: It's way better.
28:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, so because it was such a huge addition for the 49ers.
28:37
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a legitimate three tech and I would say the best three tech that they've had since the forced buckner and 2019.
28:43
[SPEAKER_01]: So this is this is a huge upgrade for them.
28:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that they didn't stop there though.
28:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, Alfred Collins is going to be better.
28:49
[SPEAKER_01]: CJ West is going to be better last year.
28:51
[SPEAKER_01]: They struggled a little bit against the run.
28:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think a lot of that was pad level, especially for Alfred Collins.
28:56
[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't get a full off season this year.
28:58
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going into with a full off season.
29:00
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be ready to go.
29:01
[SPEAKER_01]: But then you had Grayson Holtman.
29:02
[SPEAKER_01]: You got another legitimate pass rusher at that three tech and in this rupture.
29:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And all these guys also diggy Zuha and Grayson Holtman.
29:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I think something is kind of flying under the radar because we all look at their pass rusher.
29:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Those two are also pretty good against the run.
29:15
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot better than Jordan Elliott, a lot better than Khalia Davis.
29:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they're going to add some to stopping the run as well.
29:21
[SPEAKER_01]: This is going to be the best interior defensive line stopping the run.
29:24
[SPEAKER_01]: The four ends have had in a few years, which is important.
29:27
[SPEAKER_01]: They need that.
29:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think that that's used.
29:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I kind of like Sebastian Valdez as a potential guy to make it as the fifth guy.
29:35
[SPEAKER_01]: He's ability to kind of push last year on the practice squad.
29:37
[SPEAKER_01]: He's another guy that can push the pocket, generate some past rush.
29:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think that they've got an opportunity there where he can kind of feel that Kevin Gibbons role, you know, Kevin Gibbons wasn't good over the last couple years with the pectoral injuries.
29:48
[SPEAKER_01]: It really hurt him and diminished his game, but I think that there's an avenue for Sebastian Valdez to help as well.
29:53
[SPEAKER_01]: So talk to bottom.
29:54
[SPEAKER_01]: It's really good.
29:55
[SPEAKER_01]: But Oscar Dickie do a great set of Halton, Alfred Collins, CJ West, sounds really good compared to what the 49ers had last year inside that defensive tackle room.
30:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I'm pumped about this defense attack on a man because everybody's young and there's so much upside, like even if you get outside of the first four guys you talk about the number five's Ed James Thompson Jr. Bryson Eason, Sebastian Valdez, Evan Anderson,
30:21
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the truth that started his rookie year for this team.
30:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Now he's fighting for the sixth spot.
30:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Like the depth at the defensive tackle room and the youth at the defensive tackle room is in lead, elite, elite, I went better big time.
30:35
[SPEAKER_02]: It wasn't even close.
30:37
[SPEAKER_02]: And I hope Valdez plays.
30:39
[SPEAKER_02]: My thing with Sebastian Valdez is he was on the practice squad all last year and nobody claimed him.
30:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I could see that being even if he is the number five defense tackle the 40 hours saying you know what I think we can slide this dude by so let's let's Who's somebody that we're gonna miss if they get taken because it's the bash of al des gets taken price in essence not too far off James stops the junior a little bit different build, but still We could slide that in there, but man.
31:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I do love smash of al des they love they promoted them a max number of times and healthy scratch them just for extra money
31:11
[SPEAKER_02]: They love him, but I'm not sure anybody else in the league does, which is kind of weird.
31:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe he has another awesome training camp, and maybe he has another, the thing was to bash about this, I go back to when he wins, he wins quick, and he wins violent.
31:25
[SPEAKER_02]: The consistency, though, he disappears on a lot of plays, but whatever he wins, it's highlight real worthy.
31:32
[SPEAKER_02]: He's got to get that consistency against the double team.
31:35
[SPEAKER_02]: He's got to be able to get lower technique.
31:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Those are the things, it's not sexy, but I think that's what's stopping him from being a contributor, but man, if he could keep the explosiveness and the huge splash plays, like it consisted against the run game, got to keep Fred Warner clean now.
31:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Got to keep him clean.
31:54
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, speaking of Fred Warner, let's move to the linebackers.
31:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Last year's linebackers.
32:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Fred Warner, D-Winners, Nick Barton, Luke Gifford, Tatum Betu.
32:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Better or worse.
32:07
[SPEAKER_01]: It's it's way better.
32:08
[SPEAKER_01]: The fact that Drake Green law comes into the the fold.
32:11
[SPEAKER_01]: It just solidifies the line back a room.
32:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Everything's back to normal again You got you know your Muhammad Ali that is Fred Warner the greatest of all time the guy that's you know Dominating the middle and then Mike Tyson just came right back into the fold.
32:24
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what Drake Green law This dude's gonna go knock some people out You know, and this is kind of a message to all those people that talk trash on the four-year defense
32:31
[SPEAKER_01]: don't go across the middle with Ray Greenlaw there.
32:34
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to find you.
32:35
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to light you up.
32:36
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that that's a big factor for the 49ers is they're getting back and attitude.
32:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I was 57 back on the field.
32:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Not only does he play the right way.
32:45
[SPEAKER_01]: He does everything right.
32:46
[SPEAKER_01]: He's in the right spots.
32:47
[SPEAKER_01]: But he also brings an attitude to that 49ers defense and him and Fred are just going to play off each other.
32:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And I love that.
32:53
[SPEAKER_01]: The 49ers need some imposing
32:57
[SPEAKER_01]: It was all cast and no breaks, but a little bit more finesse than I'd like to see.
33:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think they're starting to get some of the added to some of that physicality back with Fred and Tray being together.
33:06
[SPEAKER_01]: So that room is going to be great.
33:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I love Nick Martin's potential.
33:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Tatum Patoon's solid.
33:12
[SPEAKER_01]: So you got him at Sam Bakker if you need that.
33:15
[SPEAKER_01]: But then also some of the guys you've brought in, that you bring back Luke Gifford, you bring back Garo Wallow.
33:20
[SPEAKER_01]: But then you've got the young guy too.
33:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that they've got a lot of potential with Jaden Dugger That's kind of in the depth.
33:27
[SPEAKER_01]: So when you look at the top of bottom, this team is so much better at linebacker That's why you could trade away deep winters and not think twice about it because you just had so much talent at the position This is gonna be fun.
33:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm excited about the linebacker room The fact that defensive line interior defensive line got that much better and the linebacker room is that good That should be really good for the four-dears run game.
33:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they're gonna be able to stop the run
33:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Ah, I love it.
33:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Greenlaw stay healthy man.
33:53
[SPEAKER_02]: If you get 10 games out of Greenlaw, the contracts worth it.
33:55
[SPEAKER_02]: I'd say if you get nine, probably eight.
33:58
[SPEAKER_02]: If they're playoff games, man, they do change the course of the Super Bowl with that damn injury.
34:04
[SPEAKER_02]: It's what it is.
34:05
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, cornerbacks, interesting room because they brought back everybody.
34:11
[SPEAKER_02]: You look at the corners that they had last year.
34:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Obviously, it's Yama, Georgia, the North.
34:14
[SPEAKER_02]: You had Ronaldo, Green, to Real Looter, Junior, Upton, Stout, Chase Lucas isn't back.
34:22
[SPEAKER_02]: That's about the only difference.
34:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think they're better.
34:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I do.
34:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that you look at the corner back room and I like the starter thing up.
34:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Then Stout's going to get so much better in year one.
34:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this guy has got the potential to be a probable caliber player at nickel.
34:41
[SPEAKER_01]: He just got better and better and better.
34:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And the thing I love about up the Stout, you make a mistake.
34:45
[SPEAKER_01]: He fixes it.
34:46
[SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't make it the next game.
34:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And so you can't take advantage of him twice in the same area.
34:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that that's such a great quality for a young player.
34:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Diomerellinore is going to get better from playing against Mike Evans and George Kittle brought it up.
34:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Mike Evans against Diomerellinore at practice is going to make Diomerellinore a better player.
35:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So that is one of the things that I love about it.
35:04
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Ronaldo Greens is going to get pushed because they added depth, Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones.
35:09
[SPEAKER_01]: These are legitimate NFL caliber players.
35:11
[SPEAKER_01]: This isn't
35:12
[SPEAKER_01]: no offense to Derell Litter Jr.
35:14
[SPEAKER_01]: But this isn't a guy that's trying to make the roster.
35:16
[SPEAKER_01]: These dudes, they play 17 game seasons like the 49ers added depth of the position.
35:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it got a lot better if they use Nate Hobbs and a Buffalo nickel.
35:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that would be really really good for this football team in certain sets, especially 13 personnel type looks.
35:31
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think Jack Jones is going to push Ronaldo Green.
35:34
[SPEAKER_01]: to the point where Ronaldo is either going to get a lot better and play a lot more physical or Jack Jones is going to be starting at that corner back position because this dude is an absolute monster when it comes to making plays on the football.
35:45
[SPEAKER_01]: So this this corner back room got a lot better.
35:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I love what the 49ers did with it.
35:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they got a lot of depth and that didn't even mention the Fissions price sock.
35:52
[SPEAKER_01]: The guy with the longest arms in the world it feels like.
35:55
[SPEAKER_01]: But that guy's going to be a lot of fun to see how they end up developing him as well.
35:58
[SPEAKER_02]: The depth that corner is insane.
36:00
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you got eight guys fighting for five spots.
36:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I did talk about Jacob Robinson, Eli Apple, I think he's a little bit, you know, of an after mentioned like whatever, but like good lord, there are so many guys that can play and have played with experience in that room now and plus up to the stout like this was a question mark last off season was like man who's going to win that slot job who's going to win the nickel job who's going to get that that is now put to rest I think up to stout
36:32
[SPEAKER_02]: He has the capacity to become the best nickel corner in the NFL.
36:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Can he get there?
36:37
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see.
36:37
[SPEAKER_02]: He's not there yet.
36:38
[SPEAKER_02]: But the flashes, ah, it just the constant uphill tick of quality play consistently.
36:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I wish they'd get rid of the Buffalo nickel, the big nickel, whatever you want to.
36:48
[SPEAKER_02]: I just want up and stout out there.
36:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I just want to see 20 play football.
36:52
[SPEAKER_02]: That's all I want.
36:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, Portola right here.
36:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Joan started 17 games for the dolphins last year.
36:58
[SPEAKER_02]: It's 17 games for the Raiders the year before.
37:01
[SPEAKER_02]: This dude has started back to back seasons for two separate teams, two bad teams.
37:05
[SPEAKER_02]: But this is a capable starter.
37:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Whenever he's not getting the trouble off the field, he hasn't gotten trouble back to back years, and that was living in Vegas in Miami, saying a clear, you should be piece of cake after that.
37:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Anyway, take for that what you will.
37:21
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, let's go safety's, which again, pretty much the same guys.
37:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Malice Mustafa, you got Jaya Brown, Marquis Seagulls here in Neil.
37:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Better or worse.
37:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm going better and it's a lot of it has to do with Ashton Davis, you know, coming into the fold, I think he adds depth a lot better than like a Jason Pinnick last year who was what the starting safety with Marquis Eagle last year when the season started, I think they've upgraded the position.
37:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Marquis Eagle's going to be better and I'm hinting a lot of that on the fact that I think Marquis Eagle and and at Malach Mustafa are both going to be better this year.
37:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Malach was coming off an ACL last year.
37:58
[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't even start the season.
38:00
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, ready to go.
38:01
[SPEAKER_01]: He took some time for him to get ready.
38:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't think he was ever quite right.
38:04
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think Marky Seagull is going to be really good this year.
38:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I have a lot of faith in this guy.
38:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I think just watching him last year.
38:11
[SPEAKER_01]: He's got some things he's got to work on, but he's had a whole season to work on it.
38:14
[SPEAKER_01]: But that speed, the athleticism.
38:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I think once you get Jerry Gray working with him consistently, I think you're going to see the uptick in production.
38:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So depth wise, I like it better because you added in Ashton Davis, you got the other guy's thing Mustafa and Seagull get better.
38:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So I went better and at first when I thought I was going to go worse, but just looking at into a towel, it's definitely for me better.
38:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, the three guys that are your main players are still in the rookie deals all their year older with the experience.
38:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, they were all bad last year.
38:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think any safety is happy with the year that they had last season.
38:49
[SPEAKER_02]: But now,
38:50
[SPEAKER_02]: They get that year experience.
38:52
[SPEAKER_02]: They've learned more.
38:53
[SPEAKER_02]: They're a little bit more knowledge.
38:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I think that's huge in adding national Davis.
38:56
[SPEAKER_02]: I liked that one a lot.
38:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Need to see an improvement there.
38:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I went better but slight.
39:02
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just very slight and they're more healthy.
39:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Jaya Brow was banged up last year, heading into the season.
39:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Malcolm Stoffo was coming off the ACL, like all three of the safeties are healthy.
39:12
[SPEAKER_02]: You added ash to Davis.
39:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Health's better than it was at this point last year and you've got a little bit more veteran experience in that room.
39:19
[SPEAKER_02]: So I like that.
39:20
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's the end of that now.
39:22
[SPEAKER_02]: We have, I wanna do kicking specialists and I also wanna do the coaching staff.
39:27
[SPEAKER_02]: So let's do kicking specialists first.
39:29
[SPEAKER_02]: which last year you had Jake Moody, you had John Meese, and then you brought in Thomas Morstead, actually didn't even have a punner on the initial 53 last year.
39:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Now you've got a little bit, you're bringing back John Meese, you're bringing back Jake, not Jake Moody, but Eddie Piniero.
39:43
[SPEAKER_02]: So like, I feel like this is the easiest one.
39:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just gonna save us some time here.
39:47
[SPEAKER_02]: Eddie Piniero over Jake Moody, 1000 times better.
39:51
[SPEAKER_02]: even on Sunday, especially on Sundays, always on Sundays.
39:54
[SPEAKER_02]: And then like I even think the punters in upgrade just because there's competition there.
39:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Thomas more said was average at best last year, good hang time.
40:04
[SPEAKER_02]: But man, had one of the worst playoff games ever.
40:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know how we won that Philly game with two 20 yard punts, but I digress.
40:12
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll take the the punter competition over this as well.
40:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Did you say better for the kickers?
40:16
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like this one's the most given ever.
40:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it happened.
40:19
[SPEAKER_01]: You're all right.
40:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that's the key.
40:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And even when it comes to the punchers, I think that's going to be fun and one thing to kind of throw in there is waitman's left foot at kicker.
40:27
[SPEAKER_01]: So that'll be interesting, too.
40:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Just to see how how that goes.
40:30
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think they want the undrafted reagent who they haven't officially signed.
40:34
[SPEAKER_01]: He's not actually on the team yet.
40:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I think they want him to win the job.
40:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll see how that goes.
40:38
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, I think it's it is better with the specialist for sure.
40:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, Bout Jack Balmester, the dude from Texas, he can't get a work visa.
40:45
[SPEAKER_02]: the government won't give them one because whatever, all right, anyway.
40:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Now coaching in general, not a lot of changes.
40:52
[SPEAKER_02]: You bring back almost to everybody.
40:54
[SPEAKER_02]: The main additions are, you know, you're looking at Jerry Gray, the defense of back and where he Morris defensive coordinator.
41:00
[SPEAKER_02]: That's pretty much about it.
41:02
[SPEAKER_02]: There's not any other major changes.
41:04
[SPEAKER_02]: So the coaching staff better or worse.
41:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think it's better.
41:10
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think that I'm working.
41:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Jerry Gray coming in.
41:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's so huge.
41:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I think people don't really think about it.
41:17
[SPEAKER_01]: But this secondary has been a little detached.
41:19
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, as far as how they've played, and I think he's going to add stability to it.
41:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And just, you know, the confidence of him with where he more.
41:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think they're going to work really good together.
41:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this defense is going to be a little bit more aggressive.
41:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I think when you look at where he more so to Robert Sola, these guys are a lot different from how they go about calling defense and think this defense is going to be a lot more aggressive and a lot more impactful upfront, but Jerry Gray, I think is going to make a huge impact.
41:42
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's the biggest move.
41:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I think if you looked at offense, the one thing you did lose Brian Flurry, so that is one thing that goes into this, but I think overall the coaching staff is better and I feel like even bringing in
41:58
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think top to bottom he does a really good job of building the coaching room and so I do think they got better yeah, I love
42:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Robert Sala, I really, really do.
42:09
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think that he is a quality coordinator.
42:13
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see how he does at head coach in the second stint.
42:16
[SPEAKER_02]: But the Jerry Gray thing is huge.
42:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And I like where he more.
42:19
[SPEAKER_02]: I hate simplistic defenses.
42:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Robert Sala is so simple, too simple.
42:24
[SPEAKER_02]: He got Bushwacked.
42:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Anytime he was going against an elite play caller.
42:29
[SPEAKER_02]: That's what I want to see the difference in with Rahim Morris, and Rahim Morris has been on McVay staff and coach defense every single day against them, you know, with the Rams when they won the Super Bowl, he's been a part of that.
42:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Now he's never had those top five ranked defenses and all that stuff, but I just want to complex defense that shows up on third downs, and I'm tired of that third and 16 and whatever, we'll see here.
42:53
[SPEAKER_02]: I want more attack.
42:54
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't want 20 sacks and I don't want to give up 3rd and 16s.
42:57
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see if that changes hasn't happened yet, but I'm pretty pumped about it.
43:01
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm going to go better.
43:02
[SPEAKER_02]: So the Talies for these, I'm just going to, I said, nine position groups got better.
43:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Four got worse and 11 got better.
43:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Two got worse.
43:15
[SPEAKER_02]: One of the many reasons why ant is better than Chapman, which we all know.
43:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, were you shocked by the results?
43:23
[SPEAKER_02]: You saw improvement at 11 positions over last season.
43:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I think it was easy to find improvement at those positions because the 49ers were thin.
43:32
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, by even their own admission, last year that defense went into the season thin.
43:37
[SPEAKER_01]: It was thin a defensive tackle.
43:39
[SPEAKER_01]: It was it was thin at linebacker in a lot of respects.
43:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that when you looked at what they've added a defensive back, it just got better and better with depth.
43:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's one of the keys to this roster being better in 2026 and 2025 is the depth.
43:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And it was key signings, you know, guys like Vaderi and low.
43:56
[SPEAKER_01]: and bringing in, you know, Jack Jones and Nate Hollabs and adding Ashton Davis.
44:00
[SPEAKER_01]: These were very subtle, but very solid moves by the 49ers that improved the overall roster.
44:06
[SPEAKER_01]: It's, in a lot of cases, not like they got great starters at certain positions, but a lot of depth that helped improve the roster.
44:13
[SPEAKER_01]: But they did get great starters too, with Mike Evans, you added OSa, Digi, Zua, you added Drake, Greenlaw.
44:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So they did a lot to improve the team from last year.
44:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
44:22
[SPEAKER_01]: was I surprised that it was it was that that big of a a slate for me it I was.
44:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I thought that it would probably be a little bit less but I think that they did get it they did get better and I'm pretty comfortable with saying that I think if there's one position that wasn't comfortable with me saying they got better it's probably interior offensive line that was the one I I struggled with the most just have a better I said worse oh I'm sticking with better but I'm just saying I was uh that was the one that was the toughest for me.
44:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I love it, man.
44:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, look at this, the stretch of gold podcast in the house, he gives us the double hat tip.
44:53
[SPEAKER_02]: My man, Rob Latter, everybody go subscribe.
44:55
[SPEAKER_02]: He's the man, shout out to KP, they put out some great content, man.
44:59
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's the desert season.
45:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's just be honest.
45:02
[SPEAKER_02]: It's offseason.
45:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Players are on vacation, and whatever else, and hopefully not robbing people, but it's out there.
45:09
[SPEAKER_02]: So find some content that you enjoy and make you excited about what's coming.
45:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know how you listen to ant before you guys come back and not get excited and what else you got going on in the upcoming week with content.
45:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I know you got some stuff.
45:23
[SPEAKER_02]: You're always cooking what what's on the agenda.
45:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm going to get into some of these training camp battles.
45:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm really excited to talk about why they're seever battles.
45:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm excited to talk about interior offensive line battles.
45:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm going to get into that.
45:36
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what I'm going to start working on over the next few weeks.
45:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I got a couple other things I want to talk about.
45:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Some of the guys who have the end of the roster could have a chance to make an impact.
45:43
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, I've been cooking up some stuff for the next couple of weeks.
45:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it's going to be a lot of fun.
45:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that this is what we talk about leading into training camp.
45:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And when we get there, John, it's going to be
45:56
[SPEAKER_02]: 77 days to kick off.
45:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, look at sin.
46:00
[SPEAKER_02]: And I listen to your podcast last night and really enjoyed it amazing stuff do just crush is it and you are the absolute best.
46:07
[SPEAKER_02]: This was a fun practice and even if you're a pessimist like me
46:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I had it at nine better position groups for worse off.
46:16
[SPEAKER_02]: That's two to one ratio with the little extra gravy sausage gravy on from the south.
46:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Makes a taste better.
46:22
[SPEAKER_01]: That'll do has to be.
46:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Are you kidding me?
46:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Come on.
46:25
[SPEAKER_02]: SOS, let's go.
46:27
[SPEAKER_02]: All right.
46:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Until next time, guys, it's been an absolute pleasure.
46:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And hopefully we'll be back next Thursday, I think.
46:34
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll talk.
46:35
[SPEAKER_02]: But until then, stay strong, faithful.
46:37
[SPEAKER_02]: We out.