Latest / Guy Football Focus with Guy Haberman / 49ers Are Back - Brandon Aiyuk's Latest, Buckner Looks Ready and The NFC Race

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49ers Are Back - Brandon Aiyuk's Latest, Buckner Looks Ready and The NFC Race · Guy Football Focus with Guy Haberman

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hey guys, coming up on the show today, Brandon and I youk, what comes next?
• 0:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Forest Buckner, Nick Bosa, how the 49ers were shaping up in what the NFC race looks like.
• 0:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's all coming up on the show.
• 0:13
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• 0:22
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• 0:26
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• 0:28
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• 0:33
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• 0:41
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• 0:42
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• 0:43
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• 0:43
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• 0:47
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• 0:49
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• 0:50
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• 1:00
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• 1:10
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• 1:22
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• 1:26
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• 2:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's get on with it.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Brand and I youk is not playing another down for the 40 matters.
• 2:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think that some grand take I actually do think it's relevant and understandable if somebody were to say well, what if he were to come back and apologize and say Brand and I youk is not playing another down for the 40 matters now.
• 2:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: He has hired a real legitimate agent and It has now begun the process of you know the stuff he should have done a long time ago and for whatever reason didn't
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's going to apply for reinstatement, 49ers have to reinstate him.
• 2:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's got to show up through the facility.
• 2:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Got to get a physical.
• 2:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then the 49ers, the expectation is really similar.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now things are definitely going to happen between the first step of that and the last step of that.
• 3:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can't imagine anybody would trade for the guy.
• 3:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: I can't imagine they want to spend any time with him on the roster trying to get somebody to trade for the guy.
• 3:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, and then I would expect that he goes and signs with the Washington commanders and I know some people will say, but we're going to talk about all this, uh, but finally, he is putting him say saying, or they're saying that they're going to force the, the 40 matters hand or at least the 49ers are going to have to, you know, re-address this situation.
• 3:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, and the reason the Niners are, you know, going to make him do all this stuff is because ultimately they save a lot of money against the cap, not cash.
• 3:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: But against the cap, if he doesn't actually follow through here and given his recent and not so recent history, they're going to make him follow through.
• 3:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: If he follows through, then his money accelerates against the cap this year.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Next year, and they'll be able to deal with it, they understand that this was a possibility they couldn't go off spending money as if this couldn't happen and then put themselves in a bind.
• 4:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: So they're not going to be in a bind.
• 4:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, part of the reason I think, somebody, I don't know who maybe Drew Rosenhouse got through to him and said, hey, I can help you, you know, the 49ers, there's going to be some cash they want back, so that's going to be a part of this, and that's also part of the reason they're going to make him kind of follow all these protocols and, you know, they're prepared to follow the protocols obviously.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think what's interesting about it is like Drew Rosenhaus must think there is money to be made here, right?
• 4:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Drew Rosenhaus doesn't do this out of the goodness of his heart.
• 4:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is in the charity case, Brandon and I you last played a football game, October 20th, the 2024 over two years ago.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: There is no doubt that the plan from Drew Rosenhaus has to be, let's get you in there, so we can get you out of there, so we can get you two months of football to play,
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: or get you ramped back up and get a you got to get on if you want to make another dollar and after you make a lot of dollars and then you make zero dollars you need to make another dollar um let's get you in there get you out of there get you on a field and try to get you paid something in 2027
• 5:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: But you're going to have to show somebody in 2026 that your healthy, you're not going to go away while you got to do it.
• 5:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's not going to be for the 40 matters for a variety of reasons, a many reasons, a lot of them personal, not trustworthy, like all of that stuff.
• 5:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: And also,
• 5:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: they can't rest putting that guy in the practice field and have them get hurt and not being able to untie themselves from this situation.
• 5:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's how this thing's going to play out.
• 5:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, Kyle Shanahan is never going to deviate from his mantra, which is that there's no absolute to life.
• 5:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he wasn't going to get boxed in on saying an absolute about brand and I used because
• 6:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: There are no absolutes at life.
• 6:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's what Kyle Shattah had said today.
• 6:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is there a chance, Brad, I, you can play for you.
• 6:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hey, there's no absolutes in life.
• 6:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if you read that quote on paper, it sounds hopeful.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I would not be Matt Barrows asked I thought a great question.
• 6:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Are there, there are other teams, the chiefs, the see-ups, the rams, and then you help it, why receiver?
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Isn't a concern, hasn't been discussed, that you might end up facing him at another point in this season?
• 6:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kyle Shanahan one word answer.
• 6:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: No, not word about it.
• 6:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: Not going to think of it that way.
• 6:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: As I said, he hasn't played football in two years.
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: So there's let's say you could get by all the other stuff.
• 6:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Which they're not.
• 6:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: No one's going to get by a band.
• 6:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, like all of this stuff that was so public and
• 6:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's also, you know, much of this goes back several years, private conversations.
• 6:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: What a mess.
• 6:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: What a mess it was.
• 6:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, now it's less of a mess, it's protocol, but it's not a mess.
• 7:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, step A is going to lead to step B, which will lead to C and D and E, in which ones those R will see depends partly on IU's actions.
• 7:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: You don't need to get a real agent now, so if he listens to his agent, there will be at least an order operation here and they'll probably will be some business battle over money.
• 7:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: And like I said, I thought that last question and answer, do you think you'll go play for the Chiefs of C.O.X.
• 7:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Ramsons at Concern You?
• 7:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: That, you know, Kyle's answer could have been interpreted two different ways.
• 7:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: One is, I'm not concerned about it.
• 7:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: The other one is maybe he already knows where he's going and that it's going to be the commanders.
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's why you spend saying I know people backed off of that when I had some, I don't even remember what.
• 7:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Criticism of J. Dales, his buddy, the one guy who's been in this corner, but they know that staff well, they know that front office well.
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Those guys were all just here on the field before the game, Adam Peters and Bob Myers and
• 8:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're all there.
• 8:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Dan Quinn, like they're all together.
• 8:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, whether or not they've talked about it, oh, who knows.
• 8:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, I think they got a pretty good idea.
• 8:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, I think the other part of that might be, yeah, fine, chiefs, sign the guy.
• 8:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: But they have, you know, I think it's such a cliche, but I really do think it's true with this team, like,
• 8:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: It is about them, you know, they are getting healthy now, we'll talk about that, and, you know, at their best, they can't spend their time worrying about Brandon and I, you've got another team.
• 8:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: And the alternative would be on your team and they're not willing to do that.
• 8:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: So he can be on another team and, you know, I think it's easy, I don't think you forget.
• 8:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think it's easy to forget, but
• 8:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not just things been out two years.
• 8:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: The games that he played before he went out were largely ineffective.
• 8:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: He had the one big game against Arizona, but it was weird.
• 9:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was really weird.
• 9:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was weird watching him.
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: There were a couple times where I thought maybe he's broken out of it and now, you know, coming off the
• 9:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Coming off the weirdness like he's going to get in the groove and I was going to get going and it didn't happen Maybe it was going to happen if he didn't suffer the ACL injury, but it didn't happen.
• 9:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: So He looked a little disinterested at times the last time we saw him It looked like he was going to work his way back.
• 9:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's been a lot of show a lot of performance You know, I know other people have brought up.
• 9:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I I was Been asked about it a few times what about these
• 9:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: these pending legal issues Santa Clara PD gonna be waiting outside the stadium whatever I mean whatever I don't know but from a football standpoint he's he's he's he's not playing for that again and
• 9:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, Rosenhaus has to know that there is a team that's going to give him a contract.
• 10:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Rosenhaus has without a doubt figured out where he's going to go already because Rosenhaus isn't doing this just for fun.
• 10:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Rosenhaus is doing it because he thinks, what the hell, do a little work, make a little money this year, and then maybe the guy can sign for a few more bucks.
• 10:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, next year, you know, I think the, the, the Joann Jennings situation got clarified by Kyle Shanahan today, there was the report that they wanted to talk to him and Joann refused the FaceTime.
• 10:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not what I, Kyle's like, I don't know about that report, but we FaceTime and, you know, what I kind of guessed and I, I said as much the other day,
• 10:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, in one of my media, I'm overexposed.
• 10:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know someone said to me that they got you, you're on this TV station.
• 10:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's TV station in three times on the radio station.
• 10:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're fine.
• 10:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: I know I enjoy it, though.
• 10:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's fun.
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, but, uh, you know, how would you on Jennings feel?
• 10:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: How would he look if he's like, people like, oh, you didn't want to come play for the Niners?
• 11:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm on it at the time.
• 11:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm on an undefeated team.
• 11:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, you project all these feelings that I must have about my performance in admittedly, right?
• 11:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's not getting them all, but he's second on the team and snaps them on receivers.
• 11:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: But what would you say about a guy who was playing a lot and then accepted a trade to another team from an undefeated team?
• 11:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: That would be a little weird.
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, and the way I interpreted with Kyle Shanahan said about Joanne Jennings today is that they had a conversation about like, here's the snaps we have available before you hear.
• 11:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's not going to be as much.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe right away in the immediate it will be as much, but it's not going to be as much.
• 11:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, as you have there, because the way Kyle said it was I count, you know, we talked tonight.
• 11:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I, uh, I agreed with him that, you know, his position and blah, blah, blah, blah, on worth things to it.
• 11:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's weird that Minnesota would even be open to it.
• 11:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what, it's weird to me.
• 12:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's the weird part.
• 12:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's weirder for Minnesota.
• 12:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Um, why would you make your guy available like that?
• 12:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I know he's not getting the ball, but.
• 12:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's playing all the time and he's not making that much money if he had another guy that was better than him you could just bench him so it's bizarre from Minnesota standpoint
• 12:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, they've got a lot of issues on offense that may have nothing to do with Joanne, and maybe they figure them out, if the season's got maybe Kyler and things settle in, and, you know, maybe in five or six weeks, they've got a little bit of a better flow.
• 12:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't feel that way.
• 12:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm kind of the opposite mind with Minnesota, it feels like it's going to catch up with them, but their defense is awesome.
• 12:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: And so, you know, they're going to win games and obviously they got the game coming up in a few weeks in Mexico City with the 49ers.
• 12:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, you know, the football part is what really matters here and it was eye opening.
• 12:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was eye opening and it to see the Forest Buckner number 99 back on the field.
• 13:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: it was made twice as eye opening that it coincided with Nick Bosa's return.
• 13:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Nick Bosa was among the players that was listed as limited and practiced today.
• 13:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: One of the players who didn't practice today listed with a hamstring, Christian McCaffrey watched both of those guys talk in the locker room today and I would say the energy on both very optimistic.
• 13:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Nick Bosa seemed like he was feeling really good.
• 13:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: that was the way it seemed.
• 13:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: The calf he said calves take a long time and got a little technical on exactly what his injury was, but he sounded good.
• 13:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: He looked good in the sense that like he felt like he was excited to be back to playing football, which means he's optimistic.
• 13:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: this injury was not related to his Achilles directly, although, you know, we thought maybe he had been favoring and obviously that's how, that's how other injuries occur after injuries, but the same for McAfrey, now McAfrey doesn't, you know, practice Wednesdays anyway, they can't list it as a vet day to day with the hamstring still, but watching him talk, he seemed very optimistic.
• 14:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: We'll see, but, you know, until we see him, we wait, but he seemed very optimistic.
• 14:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: But anyway, seeing Buckner in Bosa, what a big game to get Buckner for, what a great thing for him to get traded before the weekend, and kind of get a little bit of a buy to acclimate.
• 14:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Not be in a rush.
• 14:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's always a little interesting when a guy gets traded three days before a game.
• 14:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it worked out really perfectly.
• 14:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: The buy worked out perfectly.
• 14:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think the 49er schedule for as much of the disadvantages With the perceived or real that we talked about and we are hitting the part of the schedule now where they are real, right?
• 14:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're gonna play the Raiders at home And then they got four.
• 14:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: They got three more home games after that.
• 14:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like that's pretty great or four more home games Three more home games after that.
• 14:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's pretty crazy They're gonna after November starting you know on Monday.
• 14:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's three home games left
• 14:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: with nine games to play.
• 15:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's Seattle, the Rams and the Eagles.
• 15:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, two of those games, you don't really have any travel advantage over the opponent, the Seahawks, and the Rams.
• 15:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's, you know, we haven't really seen the effect of it, but to this point, it's been, it's been really great.
• 15:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: And they've got to take advantage of it and beat the Raiders, and I think have a chance.
• 15:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: you know, this is the type of game where you see like gosh, I don't know.
• 15:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's got a game.
• 15:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's got a chance to be a little bit a rivalry game.
• 15:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Crowds going to be good.
• 15:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: Got it.
• 15:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: This game's got a little chance to be squirrely.
• 15:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think this game has got a blow up potential.
• 15:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, the Niners have been in positions to blow a few teams out this year and haven't been able to close the deal.
• 15:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think if they can get ahead and then really with Buckner and Bosa, the key to this game is can you hit Kirk.
• 15:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kirk Cousins is second in the NFL and touchdowns.
• 15:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: If it wasn't for the five touchdowns from Burrow last week, he'd lead the league.
• 15:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think the biggest thing, big picture in this game.
• 15:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's two of them.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: One, Evan's does he play.
• 16:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: How's he looked?
• 16:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Does he make it through the game?
• 16:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: If he plays and I don't think it's a lock that he plays.
• 16:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: And two, the season will not be defined by whether or not you beat the Raiders, but it could be lost on special teams and did Eddie Piniero fix his issue.
• 16:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Whatever that issue is, four missed extra points, did he fix it?
• 16:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Does he miss an extra point this week?
• 16:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think we're going to score a lot of touchdowns this week.
• 16:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Does Eddie Piniero miss an extra point?
• 16:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: If he does,
• 16:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: They have a problem now, he's given the opportunity to fix the problem.
• 16:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: They need him to fix the problem.
• 16:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: They don't want to deal with this.
• 16:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: The other part of it, I think it's a good, I guess, from an injury standpoint, not I guess.
• 16:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: I was going to say, it's a good, I guess, that Dylan Laube.
• 16:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: return to kick for a touchdown last week against the jets the first kick return for a touchdown the NFL.
• 16:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Make sure they get to your attention, Niners.
• 16:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: But they already had the Niners attention.
• 16:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: They struggled.
• 17:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: They gave up two big returns on the kickoff against Atlanta.
• 17:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: And the good news for them is both Luke Gifford who is good on special teams and the linebacker and Garrett Wallow who's good on special teams and a linebacker.
• 17:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Those guys returned to practice limited, but they returned to practice on Wednesday and there are big deal on
• 17:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: So Rand Niel, who's a big deal on special teams, didn't practice, so that is a big deal.
• 17:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: But they just can't, in the margins, you know, this radar game is not going to be one and lost in the margins.
• 17:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: But there are plenty of games that will be one or lost in the margins coming up, especially on the road, and they just have to be able to rely on Eddie, and you hope that it was a physical, a technical thing that he was dealing with, not a mental thing.
• 17:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: if it's a mental thing, then you know, a week off doesn't necessarily fix it.
• 17:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: If it's a technical thing, my foot's putted this way, I'm blah, blah, blah, blah, I had my mouthguard in, not out and great.
• 18:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's what I'm holding my breath for this week.
• 18:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think the, I think 99 and 97 are going to create opportunities to get to the quarterback.
• 18:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, that's the key with Kirk
• 18:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: he's done a good job of it.
• 18:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: They don't defend.
• 18:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: You can score on these guys.
• 18:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: But they can, you know, if you're not good on defense, they can score with you.
• 18:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: And so this has a chance for the Niners to get guys back, Mark.
• 18:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's seagulled back up and stout back.
• 18:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Potentially, those guys are back at practice and they're a big deal.
• 18:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: The other guy they open the practice window, if we're going to get really need a gritty net hobs.
• 18:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: I've been asked about net hobs.
• 18:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: a lot because he's, you know, semi-famous NFL player by NFL player standards.
• 18:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's had some good years and people have heard of them and the night has got him and you thought, well, he's going to be a good player and he's been hurt.
• 18:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: He wasn't really that good of a player in training camp before he got hurt.
• 19:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: So
• 19:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: We'll see, they'll see, you know, he probably ends up on the field, which that may be better than Ephesians' price.
• 19:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, he's barely played, but, you know, just a note there.
• 19:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, whether or not Debo plays will be interesting this week, but, you know, as I said, top of the list is your kicker fixed and his Mike Evans healthy.
• 19:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I've talked about this for a while now.
• 19:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: Mike Evans is the, you know,
• 19:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: He is the biggest key to the whole thing outside of quarterback.
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Getting a pass rush with four, getting a pass rush with four creates such an, it just makes your secondary better and it's a big deal and hitting the quarterback's a big deal and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah stopping the runs and big deal, all that stuff, but to me, you could name seven holes on the team.
• 19:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you told me they got a healthy Mike Evans, then they have a chance to win the Super Bowl, like a really good chance to win the Super Bowl.
• 19:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: If they don't have it healthy, my Kevin's, but all these other things come together and stay healthy, then they also have a good chance to win the Super.
• 20:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's just a really good team.
• 20:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're one of the best teams in the league.
• 20:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's full strength.
• 20:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe they're the best team in the league and the best team in the NFC.
• 20:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: But there's, you know, a lot's happened.
• 20:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's still a long way to go and Chicago.
• 20:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: If I depict between Chicago, CLA, Chicago's the team.
• 20:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's the team in the NFC that I think is without a doubt the most upside.
• 20:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like I said it last year and I was wrong, but I think I was right, but I was wrong.
• 20:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: I said, CLA can't win the Super Bowl.
• 20:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: I was wrong, but I'll use the same logic again this year.
• 20:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think I won the Super Bowl.
• 20:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it's a large part because of the quarterback.
• 20:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Darnell's not going to play this week, and I saw that I was at Seahawks Play, and with that quarterback, and they still looked awesome, because their defense is awesome.
• 20:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: And JSN is awesome.
• 20:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you expected the run game to look better against Chicago.
• 21:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe, you know, I do expect them still to figure it out, but it is alarming when you watch them in person.
• 21:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Two things I've been alarmed with this year, watching teams in person.
• 21:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: One, Seattle's talent on
• 21:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: two just it's it you just Rashid Shahid can make some explosive plays, but it just feels like there are one man show on offense.
• 21:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: to the other one you notice for all the time we've been talking about 13 personnel and I'd watched it on TV and watch the L-22 and you you've watched it on TV when you see it in person and you just I'm watching the binoculars calling Niners Rams week one you're like okay 13 I'm looking at three tight hands up three tight hands poking a cool outright you like in 13 percent they just take
• 21:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Devante off the field and he's better than the other tight ends of catching the football.
• 21:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: So this thing that's their advantage also cost them something.
• 21:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, but that's not a discussion for now.
• 21:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then there's Chicago who, you know, was funny watching them really on Monday night.
• 22:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Once they add simple Jeffrey Simmons, and you know, like these guys look.
• 22:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: their defensive line is humongous.
• 22:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: These are big dudes and Montez sweat.
• 22:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's just big dudes.
• 22:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: And they've got a coach who can match wits with Kyle.
• 22:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now I do think there's one big difference between Ben Johnson.
• 22:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's one big difference between Kyle Shanahan and a lot of offensive play callers.
• 22:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that difference, and I've mentioned this before, but I always watch like genius quote-unquote genius play callers through this lens, and I do think Ben Johnson is like he is tier one, clearly.
• 22:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Is where does their ego show up?
• 22:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I think the ideal quote-unquote genius play caller is one whose ego,
• 22:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you want to call it that, is tied to being a run game bully.
• 23:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's what Kyle's core, you could call it ego, you could just call it core value.
• 23:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's tied to running the football, being a bully in the run game.
• 23:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: And what's great about him is it doesn't mean he's not creative in the past game.
• 23:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's great in the past game, right?
• 23:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: But at his core, he wants to run it down your throat.
• 23:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: He wants to physically abuse the defense and establish dominance that way.
• 23:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's that's abnormal for dynamic play colors.
• 23:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Most dynamic play colors can't
• 23:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: resist showing you how clever they are.
• 23:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And in the moment when the cleverness is required, that's fine.
• 23:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: But what happens a lot kind of that it's not a fatal flaw because it's the bit like Andy Reed does it Ben Johnson does it Andy Reed is one of Super Bowl.
• 24:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think Ben Johnson's certainly capable of winning.
• 24:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's like he is one of the best coaches in the NFL It's it's over and decided if you had all the coaches available in a draft and you pulled them by tears I think Ben Johnson would be in tier one with Kyle with Andy right McVay But McVay's got his like nobody there is no perfect
• 24:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: if you're good here you're going to be a little there's always something that's got to give but a lot of these guys they just they can't always find the line between this moment just requires me to run off tackle or
• 24:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: do something that defenses and expecting, but it's not necessarily a trick play.
• 24:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't need to do an inside hand off to my left guard, right?
• 24:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't need to go fumble, Rooski.
• 24:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: I just need to put a full back in the game and another tight end in the backfield and then pop pass it to a guy who has no catches this year.
• 24:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like, that is just clever.
• 25:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: But sometimes the cleverness gets in the way and that's where you just see it I'm not saying it's a fatal flaw like I said I'm not saying it's gonna stop the bears from winning But you just see it with Ben Johnson like sometimes they run these plays where It's not it's like two it just cross it goes over the line of Offensive plate call or just was in love with that and couldn't resist it
• 25:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: and Kyle's not part, no, but Kyle rarely, if ever, some of you might have an example to me, he rarely, if ever, calls a play where the priority isn't just what's the thing that gives us the best chance to succeed with this play.
• 25:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: The one that comes to mind that felt like it was too clever for its own good.
• 25:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: was having Trent Williams like going motion and be a lead blocker.
• 25:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Why, just run behind Trent and let juice go in motion or kiddo and let those guys be the motion blockers and just run behind Trent like.
• 26:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, so that that's the one that comes to mind, but I think outside of that.
• 26:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: Kyle, I'm not gonna say never falls into that trap, but I think far less than any other play caller falls into that trap.
• 26:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't, I really don't think he falls into that trap.
• 26:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, now maybe there's other traps, but he doesn't fall into that one.
• 26:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, it's Chicago gonna have, gonna do something silly in the wrong moment.
• 26:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe, but I just think they're upside because now their defense is improved and their defense of coordinator is good, Dennis Allen.
• 26:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: their coaches excellent at not just play calling game planning but managing a game better than most has a clear point of view on how a game should be managed.
• 26:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then the quarterback is pretty special.
• 26:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: There's no doubt.
• 26:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: I was pro-calibulians coming out of college.
• 26:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: I thought he'd be really good.
• 26:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'd watch him in college.
• 26:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: He just has special things.
• 27:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you got to still have the right coach and the right talent, et cetera, around you.
• 27:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And he clearly has the right coach.
• 27:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: He has gone from missing layups to making layups.
• 27:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: And with super talented guys,
• 27:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, we've talked about it a lot.
• 27:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I love talking about the plus plus throws, like the best one in the league makes two or three a game.
• 27:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: The rest of the game is about those zero graded throws, those plus one graded throws, are you hitting guys and stride over the middle on first down for seven yards?
• 27:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: do you hit or running back coming out of the backfield or do you waste those opportunities and Caleb's gotten a lot better at that Josh Dubal was pointing out to me today how much is completion percentage has improved and it's not because they've cooked the books on him as a passage because he's gotten better at the at the labs.
• 27:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: When I say cooked the books I mean like a bunch of throws you know the bone next a bunch of throws around that bone has done some awesome stuff but
• 27:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know, a bunch of easy throws around the line of skirmish to any time you see a guy with like a 70 plus percent completion percentage It's just like something 72 percent completion like something's not right.
• 28:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: It go watch the offense and it'll show itself.
• 28:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: So anyway But that's the group and you know the Rams Yeah, they play Washington the Rams and the Seahawks the thing that I've got circle is they play twice in the last three weeks
• 28:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's going to be pretty amazing.
• 28:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Now, the Niners schedule is this the team will travel.
• 28:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: And of course, I do travel with them.
• 28:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we, I'll say, we, in this case, we, not we that honors, but we as an I have, you know, we will go to Dallas on Saturday.
• 28:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: You're rare that they do a Saturday trip unless it's, you know, Seattle, LA, but go to Dallas Saturday, play the game in Dallas, fly to Colorado Springs, practice at the Air Force Academy all week.
• 28:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: acclimate to the elevation, go to Mexico City on Saturday, that next Saturday, play the game on Sunday, fly home, Mexico City, it's not like Atlanta's a further flight, obviously New York's a further flight.
• 29:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: the time zone thing at least is not the worst but the fact they play in Dallas before really makes this trip long because before they played a home game they went to Colorado Springs I think on they must have gone on two I wasn't there but they must have gone on Tuesday practice Wednesday now you're gonna like guess off day Monday off day Tuesday
• 29:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: maybe they went Wednesday the last trip.
• 29:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: So you know there's it's it's a longer trip.
• 29:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's as long from a day count as the Australia trip.
• 29:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's a really long trip and now we get into the part of the schedule that you pay for after you had the three home games coming out of Australia and Minnesota is really good and then you come home and you know just physical defense.
• 29:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: And so you get home later because that's the same in that game and then Seattle at home.
• 29:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, at that point, after you play Seattle, there's still only that now there's two home games left with what 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to play, and that includes Kansas City and you know, the LA Chargers, but we'll see if the Chargers have a win by then.
• 30:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I did wonder if Fernando Mendoza would be playing by now, and the answer is no, he is not.
• 30:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: Fernando Mendoza won't be playing.
• 30:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: But!
• 30:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Could we see him in this game maybe I think actually if you hit cousins enough and or if you have a big enough lead so I do think this is a candidate for that Raiders Niners what a rivalry I the the YouTube algorithm fed me a video today with a million views on it that was just like the history of Raiders Niners But it wasn't the football history it was like all the times there have been savings gunshots and arrests
• 30:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: and there was football in it.
• 30:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: It was a good video.
• 30:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: I watched the whole thing while I was working this morning, and it really got me fired up for this game, which of course used to be a 20-mile trip.
• 31:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll call a seem to candlestick and
• 31:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's not the case anymore, but for me at least, I'm sure for a lot of you, for me who's worked in the burial long time, lived in Northern California, most of my life, these games are still special, you know, I think, yeah, these games are still special.
• 31:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: I went for years to the Coliseum and Candlestick and went to a ton of nine or games and went to a ton of radar games and the radars were bad in those days when I started working in the media in the Bay Area and yet I still I still understood there was something unique.
• 31:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Charmingly unique for better or worse about the Raiders and you know, they've cured that with them.
• 31:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: So maybe now they've broken out of it.
• 31:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's too bad Tom Brady's not doing the game for Fox this week that it's not that big Fox game because I would love the storyline of what does Kyle Shanahan say to Brady?
• 32:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: They how much do you really tell him about this game?
• 32:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: But we don't have that story line.
• 32:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: All right, that's it for this.
• 32:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate you guys hanging out and we'll talk