Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Wednesday, August 14th, 2024
Report: Aiyuk, 49ers’ contract offers ‘in line,’ but one hurdle remains
“What I’ve been told is that Brandon Aiyuk would prefer to stay with the 49ers and has always preferred to stay with the 49ers,” Garafolo said Tuesday on NFL Network. “All things being equal. Now, they haven’t been equal, but they did make that offer. In fact, both sides sent proposals within the last, I don’t know, couple of days, a week or so and the 49ers’ number has gotten better than what it was previously. And they have, from my understanding, they have agreed on a lot of the main points of the deal.
“Their offers are in line, but it sounds like there’s just one more thing that needs to be ironed out and if that thing gets ironed out, Brandon Aiyuk signs the deal. He stays with the 49ers, he drops the trade request and finally we can put this situation behind him, the Niners can put it behind them.”
Silver: Are the 2024 49ers in danger of reprising their 2014 tumble from NFL greatness? (paywall)
“Then there was Issac Yiadom, a free-agent signee who will likely start at outside cornerback in the 49ers’ nickel defense, with Deommodore Lenoir moving inside. Yiadom, according to Shanahan, rolled his ankle during a walk-through. That’s bad juju at its finest.
Shanahan has extolled the importance of joint workouts in the past, and clearly didn’t want to cancel those practices — but he knew it was the right move for his team. He also shortened Monday’s practice, pushed it to the afternoon and gave some much-needed rest to the second- and third-string players who were coming off Saturday night’s game in Nashville.
That meant the starters got almost all the reps on Monday, and it was a sight to behold. With Purdy slinging the ball to stars like George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, amid tight coverage from Charvarius Ward and Fred Warner, while feeling pressure from Nick Bosa, the 49ers looked crisp and spry and potent.
It was an instructive reminder of how good this team can be, and how much has changed since 2014. At least, we think so.
In a few weeks, Shanahan and his players will have a chance to demonstrate that they’re different from their predecessors. Until then, for those who remember Harbaugh’s demise, the flashbacks persist.”
Source: 49ers signing veteran D-lineman with Davis set for surgery
“Williams will be reunited with his former Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who now serves as an assistant on 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s staff. Staley and Williams also spent time together in Chicago, where the defensive guru was an outside linebackers coach from 2017 to 2018.”
How comfortable are the 49ers at backup QB behind Brock Purdy?
“Griese said Dobbs picked up the offense within the first two weeks and joked that if his daughter needs help with her calculus class, he can turn to Dobbs.
“He’s in his fourth offense I think in a year’s time,” Griese said. “I think we operate a little bit differently just in talking with him as to the emphasis that we put in certain things. So, it’s really been about him getting used to that and the timing and the rhythm of the offense, how we want to read it, how we want to execute it. And that’s going to take time.”
Against the Titans, Dobbs went 14-of-20 for 146 yards with a rushing score and an interception thrown on a last-minute Hail Mary. After a rough start to camp, there have been plenty of signs of progress for Dobbs in practice in recent weeks.
All of which is why the next couple of preseason games will go a long way in determining who holds that ever-important position behind Purdy when the season starts. Allen has the experience in the system, but Dobbs brings more of a dual-threat potential. Both can make a case in a battle that is currently too close to call.”
How intense ‘attention to detail’ created 49ers’ winning culture
“It’s about ball. It’s about ball, It’s about doing what’s necessary to win,” Conley said. “The details are important here, and I’ve always been someone who’s loved when people harp on detail. Kyle [Shanahan] is one of the most detailed coaches I’ve been around. I can’t really think of many others who are that detailed. That attention to detail, that attention to intensity, intent is integral to putting that [49ers] helmet on.
“He [Shanahan] makes no mistake about letting people know like, ‘Hey, you have to earn it.’ You earn everything here. Everything is about doing things the right way and attacking it. That’s something I believe in, too.”
Baldy reveals which 49ers player ‘popped’ in preseason opener
“Dee Winters was a sixth-round pick last year. He popped to me,” former NFL offensive lineman-turned-NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said Tuesday on 95.7 The Game’s ”The Morning Roast.” ”He missed the tackle down at the 3-yard line, but the next play, [Titans quarterback] Will Levis rolled out and he just flattened him.”
Shanahan hints at 49ers’ kickoff strategy under NFL’s new rule
“When you can start there at the 30 [on a touchback] and the average starting line is the 29, it doesn’t seem like there’s that much of a difference to really go with the risk of it,” Shanahan said.
Under the new rule, 10 members of the kicking team will set up with one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. The receiving team will have at least nine players stationed between their own 30- and 35-yard line. Those players will not be able to move until the kick touches the ground or a player inside the landing zone — defined as the goal line to the 20-yard line.
All kicks in the landing zone must be returned. Kicks that travel short of the landing zone will result in the receiving team taking over at the 40-yard line. A touchback that lands in the end zone will place the ball at the 30-yard line, while a touchback that skips from the landing zone into the end zone will result in the ball spotted at the 20-yard line.
“I’ve always believed the key to special teams is just being sound,” Shanahan said. “You always want to win the game on special teams, but the main thing is you don’t lose it. And when you’re experiencing new things like this, there’s a lot of unknowns.”