With Week 5 ending, wanted to get some thoughts out there and start getting content rolling back through. We have some new faces and it and really want to keep the positive energy we have going. Just a little look into the beginning of the season and what to look forward too.

Over in the NFC we have soe bullies on the block with the WFT who have just ben dominating and don't pan to look back. Not to be overshadowed though are division rivals in the North in the Vikings and the Bears. These 2 teams present very strong defenses and will look to stand behind them and possibly carry them to a championship run. That division race will be a fun one to watch along the way as well as what is going on over the West.

In the AFC we dont have any undefeated teams but there seems to be a changing of the guard. The Ravens are out for blood and it started with crcling the dead body of the Cleveland Browns (54-16) and putting the whole league on notice. Another team to look out for in the AFC are the pesky Chargers, they have a roster full of talent and heing Bruin228 they are looking to ake a splash in the league.

Too early things to watch list
- Ravens WR. Hollywood Brown chasing the single season receiving yards record
- Rookie standouts 49ers RB. Ramon Bowden and Giants MLB Micah Parsons becoming rising suerstars in the league
- Will any starting QBS finsih the season above 70% completion percentage
- Will any teams go undeafeated?

The 49ers are sitting at 5-2 and haeding into  hostile Arizona for the week 9 game of the week to take on rookie sensation Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. 

The season has been up and down for the group in San Fran, Garappolo is completing just under 60% is his passes and has a QBR od 109.7 but has been sacked 26 times through 7 games. A question going into the season was how these young receivers would produce and the question still stands. Due to injury and a constant rotation to see who will step up between Taylor, Hurd, Samuel and Bourne no one has been able to put a stamp on being the #3 guy behind standout Pettis (22 rec 306 yards 2 TDs)  and Goodwin (24 rec. 572 yards 8 TDs) .  Along with the injuries in the receiver room, the rbs saw there fair share of them as well which has seen a pretty deep rotation of guys trying to be the number rusher in this run heavy offense. As NFC West play begins to pick up for the 49ers (play Cardinals, Seahawks and then Cardinals) the offense will be tested and now is time for someone to step up and make plays. 

5 victories but the 49ers can very well be sitting at 1-6 as 4 of there 5 wins were all close with the last 2 coming on defensive stops against the Redskins (21-17) and Panthers (22-20. The defense has given up yardage but have been able to not give up points when it mattered and that has kept the 49ers in games and able to pull out wins. The fans in San Fran have been waiting for the young defensive line core guys of Thomas, Armstead and Buckner to live up to where they were drafted and early on they are playing like they have something to prove. They have combined for 10 of the 23 total sacks on the season (rookie Bosa and former Chiefs edge rusher Dee Ford both have 4)  and have been an intricate part of the defense giving up the 6th fewest rushing yards thus far. That will be tested along with the backend as they take on Murray who is lighting up the league.

Better to be 5-2 then 1-6 but for the 49ers to get to where they want to be at the end of the year they have got to better than just OK.

The 49ers had a quiet off season as they did not sign any big names but they were able to build depth in free agency nor were they able to find a trade partner. The focus was the development of the players on their roster and scouting the incoming draft class. The Niners had 9 picks in the draft and 5 through the first 3 rounds and were able to put them all to good use. With their first round pick top rated DT Gabe Burley fell to them in the back end of the round (Superstar Dev high motor with strong bull and swim moves). He will get to play alongside Buckner, Thomas and Griffen on the dline.

The 49ers have a couple of position battles taking place during the preseason, with Foster and Kolb solidified as leaders at LB it looks like rookie Corbin Minnich has come in and shook up the rotation as time has been split between with him, the current LOLB starter Watts, FA signee Ginda and MLB 2 coleman who has seen reps at OLB as well, looks like a final starting rotation at the base3-4 LB spots have not been set yet. Another battle taking place has to do with the secondary and probably the biggest change in the niners roster this offseason, that was sparked with the departure of Richard Sherman (who wanted a 2 year deal for 9 milliion per year). Adrian Colbert has been moved to CB from SS which allows Stecker to stay at his true SS position. This has opened up the starting FS position for either 3rd year bust Burrell, Reed Jr. and rookie 3rd rd pick Delano Langley.

With receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Trent Taylor testing hte FA market and moving Richie James Jr back to the running back room, the niners needed to add more playmakers to their offense to couple with Cooper, Goodwin and Kittle. They were able to add WR. Mike Williams in free agency (for half the cost of what Benjamin was asking for to return to San Fran) and drafted 2 guys in 6'5" Dondre Price and Adonis Beck. They are both guys who need to be more polished but playing alongside the veterans will be huge for their development. No one has stepped up for the 3rd wr spot between Williams, Price and Beck and it seems to be someones spot for the taking.

With Jimmy G bringing his interception numbers down and finishing with a 94 QBR he is ready to take his team further this year. He has his starting 5 returning who are looking to cut back on the 32 sacks given up a season ago. The Niners will open the season against the Indianapolis Colts at home who hired Coach Winuvas who is very familiar with Coach Davis and the niners scheme from his time in Arizona. This should be a fun and exciting game to start the year in the WFL.

After coach Davis decided to invest in garoppolo and the pieces around him, the niners had a goal to go back to the playoffs. Last season Jimmy Gs number declined dramatically (62.9 QBR 26 TDS 42 ints) this was due to the combo of the offensive coordinator playcalling (who was fired at the beginning of this season) and the development of the offensive line. This season garoppolo has gone back to his mean sporting a 93.7 QBR and looking more like a leader every week with his young oline and comfortable with his receivers. Garoppolo has been redeeming himself this year and after a wildcard weekend win over division rival Seahawks he gets another chance for revenge against the eagles who defeated the niners 24-10 in the playoffs last season. The eagles held Jimmy to just 6 completions on 24 attempts and 5 interceptions and 4 sacks. We will see if he can continue to change his fortunes.

When it comes to receivers most say they all have the diva mentality but things are looking to be different in San Francisco and it has come due to an attitude check from Marquise Goodwin. When the 49ers added Amari Cooper to the roster 2 seasons ago the felt that his arrival would benefit everyone on the team. He has helped the development of Jimmy G, opening more room in the running game for the backs and taking pressure off the other pass catchers.

The biggest boost has been to the speedy WR. Goodwin, the 49ers had limited playmakers in the receiver room and Goodwin was asked to be the leader before Cooper arrived and although his stats were good he was overwhelmed with leading young guys and trying to be a #1 guy.

On the year Goodwin has pulled in 39 receptions 819 yards 6 TDs, he is looking at being an 1,000 yard receiver after taking a step back and predominantly playing in the slot with the off season addition of Kelvin Benjamin. "We had a lenghty discussion about the move to slot, as an offensive staff we wanted to make him comfortable in our direction and what we had planned for him. It just added another dimension to our offense" said Coach Davis.

With Cooper being the top target in San Fran (47 receptions 902 yardds 8 TDs), Goodwin has been able to become the ultimate compliment to him and has more than excelled in his new role. 

The 49ers sit at 4-1 and are heading to New York for a date with the cross conference 4-1 Jets. The Niners have been home essentially for 4 weeks (2 home games, a bye and a trip down I-5 to LA) and they used this time to get closer as a team. By far the tightest unit on this team has got to be the offensice line, they are a young bunch that had to grow up fast after early tensions within the organization and their starting QB. The Oline knew that they had to play better and needed to be the catalyst in turning the mood around the locker room and they have done so with their play on the field, cohesion off and with few but powerful words.

After the retirement of future Hall of Famer Joe Staley the Niners had to make some decisions starting with how will they replace him. Mike McGlinchey stepped to the plate is now playing LT and the blindside for Jimmy G, this allowed 6'5" Jackson Nolan to move inside to Lg (was drafted originally to replace Staley). The veteran of the line is 29 year old C. Weston Richburg who has filled the role of the leader of the young fatboys as he hosts a Friday Spaghetti night at his home for the group. There was a training camp battle between high motor Dorian Johnson, 1st rd pick Joshua Garnett (who decided to return in FA signing a 3 year deal), Laken Tomlinson who started at LG last year, much maligned Ereck Flowers and rookie Longon Merrit to see who will start on the right side.

The preseason saw many rotations and combinations but in the end Jonhson and Merritt were able to solidify themselves as the starters but Coach Davis feels that the summertime battles have enhanced their depth on the line. "I am confident that any of the guys can step in and play and we wouldn't skip a beat, they have truly grown together."

With the offense in a fight against a stout Rams defense, where they were held to under 100 total rushing yards and turned the ball over 4 times. The 49ers defense finally decided to step up and help out as they were key in the victory.

The 49ers were able to hold the Rams to 137 total yards that consisted of only 27 rushing yards (26 yards from Gurley on 7 carries). stopping the run was the focus in practice during the week and going into the game was all they talked about but it was the pass rush that was dominant. On the day they were able to sack Goff 8 times (OLB. Kolb tallied 6 of the 8 sacks with 3 of them being strip sacks) and picked him off 4 times.

The 49ers will head to New York to take on the 4-1 Sam Darnold lead Jets.  

2-1 and sitting with a n early week 4 bye week, things have been Rocky in San Fran early on. It was reportedd  that the starting QB was not happy with the new playbook, OC and sharing time, so much so that he demanded a trade. Rather than fix things, the 49ers tried to shop the angered QB but in a failed attempt to trade him away the head man Coach Davis had a decision to make.

According to sources close to the situation there was a close door meeting between coach and QB before the break for the bye week. It looks like an understanding has been met as Coach Davis announced that he is taking over the playcalling duties and stated "we are all in" when it comes to Garappolo being the signal caller for the 49ers for the remainder of the season. We will see if things can be repaired enough that he wants to stay beyond this year. 

*MLB Cline has been traded to the Raiders for a 3rd rd pick in this years draft and a future 6th. This moves solidifies the rookie Craig Coleman as the MLB2 alongside Foster in the 3-4.

Sitting on the playoff bubble keeps interest but can be frustrating as well especially when help is needed. There are 4 to play and the Niners are currently tied with Vikings and Cardinals with 6 wins and behind Falcons, Giants and Packers who currently have 8 or more.

With catching the Seahawks out of sighn the Niners will have ot focus on handling their business at a shot to make a wildcard spot. They have matchups against the Rams, Ravens, Cardinals, and eagles who are in a tight division battle so the road is not easy. Oh and just after winning out they will have to do alot of scoreboard watching and hope that teams like the Giants, Packers and Vikings stumble down the stretch. 

Sitting now at 4-5 and in an uphill climb to get into playoff position. Reports caught up with a clearly distraught Coach Fresh very briefly.'

Reporter  - What do you think is going with your team?
Answer - We've got to do better, we've just got to do better. Coaches. players, everyone has got to do their job. I take total blame for our failures this far but I guarantee we will be better.

Reporter - Coach, I heard rumors of a heated confrontation between Garappolo and Cassius Marsh
Answer - Is this what we are here for, NO COMMENT!

Coach Fresh stormed off after that and we are not sure what the confrontation was but it obviosuly was a hot button issue with the Coach. Maybe because of the pressures of losing, an upset fan base, compiling injurie, repeatd drops and tunrovers, and a 27th ranked passing defense it seems like Coach is losing control.

With the early struggles in San Fran Coach fresh and the organization were thinking of ways to shake things up and I think they found it. In a surprising move with the cross town Raiders the 49ers pressed forward to bring in 25 year old WR. Amari Cooper for 2 young developing potential stars in DE Arik Armstead and WR. Dante Pettis and a swap draft picks (49ers gave up a 2nd and the Raiders returned a 3rd).

The 49ers are hoping that this is the only move that they have to make as and that they now have a solid #1 target for their franchise QB who has been up and down this season for years to come.

**Addition** Cooper did not disappint in his 49ers debut. while only catching 3 passes for 53 yards, they all went for 49ers TDs (longest being a 46 yarder) in a 30-24 win over the Bengals. 

Off to a 1-2 start fans are fearful, leadership less than happy, while coaches contine to preach pateince and consistency. Needless to say something seems off with the Niners, whether it is the loss of McKinnon for 8 weeks, the aging regression of Garcon and Peterson, or just bad play the Niner Nation hopes things can turn around.

Most experts are pointing at the play of QB Jimmy Garappolo who is completing just over 50% of his passes and only has 3 TDs through the first 3 weeks of the season. Even more troubling for the Niners offense are the 8 Ints, 8 Sacks and 10 dropped balls by his supporting cast. The defense has played well and has kept them in the games but the offense cannot continue to put them in difficult situations where they are not able to grind out stops and hold up for the season.