By Justin Cheng
Before there can be a #QuestForSeven, #QuestForEight, #QuestForNine, or #QuestForTen, there needs to be sixth championship (Yes, Lebron nuthuggers. That is directed at you). For every team that has Superbowl aspirations, the long journey starts with offseason workouts, rookie minicamps, training camp, capped off with four tortuous games that mean almost nothing to fans.
However, the preseason schedule serves as a validation for the work done at the practice facility and is an intricate part of shaping how the roster will look like come the regular season. Here, players can make a name for themselves and gain what their heart desires, which predictably revolves around the stratospheres of women and money.
One such success story happened in our own backyard. A skinny 6'1", 195 pound, unheralded quarterback from San Jose State University, Jeff Garcia was deemed "too small for the NFL" and no team selected him in the 1994 NFL Draft. Four years in the lesser-watched Canadian Football League, Garcia finally earned his chance to play for his hometown team, while earning $39 million over a nine-year NFL career and scoring a Playboy playmate wife (two things that personality can't buy).
Preseason has the ability to change an organization's fate and an individual's attractability, and here is a quick guide to Preseason Week 2 for the San Francisco 49ers.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ers vs. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
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1) Facing the Prodigal Quarterback
"It's personal with Alex. It probably is different in that way. And, (I) feel like there's a great friendship there and a lot of history. He's a unique person -- very good, in all ways, a good friend."
-- Jim Harbaugh on Alex Smith
Friends don't let friends skip leg day. Friends also don't bench their healthy starting quarterback after an injury.
It was well-documented how Harbaugh stuck with Colin Kaepernick's "hot hand" after Smith suffered a concussion against the St. Louis Rams. Up to that point, Smith had led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game the previous season, jumpstarted the 2012 season with a 6-2-1 record as a starter, and was ranked third in the NFL in QB rating (104.1). Despite his steady performance, Smith was left to sulk in disappointment along with every girl that Jason from The Hills has dated.
It's a new season now, and Smith has Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery, and Anthony Fassano at his disposal. Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson took a chapter out of Harbaugh's book by blowing up Smith claiming, "I think we have the best (quarterback) in the league." Smith has always been a tough-skinned competitor --albeit, not very good at times-- and look for him to make a statement against his former coach and team.
2) More Moore?
It remains to be seen whether there are valuable diamonds in a rough of subpar wide receivers. Marlon Moore, who was recently acquired from the Miami Dolphins, got the start opposite of Anquan Boldin. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman downplayed the significance of the starter during Week 1, and stated that status belongs to the best practice performer. Moore had a good outing, but if he doesn't start against the Chiefs, there could be chaotic carousel like arguing which Pretty Little Liar has the most issues.
3) QB Option #2
Many people won't care about who our backup quarterback is unless Kaepernick gets hurt. In all honesty, we don't even want to see another other than Kap. However, this will be Tolzien's third season as a 49er, and expect to watch a lot of him, Colt McCoy, and B.J. Daniels in this game.
4) B.J. Daniels
One of the most intriguing players after Week 1 was B.J. Daniels. A seventh-round draft pick from South Florida, Daniels is listed as a quarterback but lined up once as a running back and was on special teams against the Broncos. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman has been very innovative in his offensive formations, and perhaps Daniels can be serve as a do-it all guy.
With thousands and potentially millions of dollars on the line, these players will put forth their best effort for fame. With that being said, there's only one thing left to do...
BRING ON THE GOLD DIGGERS!
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The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is co-authored by UC Merced/ USC alumnus Justin Cheng and UC San Diego alumnus Brent Lee.
For EVERYTHING about The Bayless Babbles, check out our blog page (HERE!)
Tolzein is the odd man out. Dating back to last year, he has completed 47 percent of his passes (26 of 55) with a 46.7 passer rating. Sorry buddy, BYE BYE BYE.
