Oh, what might have been. The Kaepernick family was originally from Wisconsin, and Colin grew up a Green Bay Packer fan. Don't think for a second that will play any part in Sunday's game. The 49ers have beat the Packers twice last year, including a memorable NFC Divisional game at Candlestick. These teams are two favorites to meet in the playoffs again, and here's a couple things to sit on for Week 1. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers vs. GREEN BAY PACKERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1) Quarterback Espionage
Scott Tolzien sighting!! It felt like it was just last week that we were talking about how Tolzien was on the wrong end of the quarterback carousel. Tolzien has been the resident backup under the Harbaugh administration and recently signed with the Packers after being cut after Week 3 of the preseason. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman had utilized a pretty bare playbook in the preseason to hide his hand to opposing teams, but Tolzien has extensive knowledge of the 49ers playbook and can provide valuable knowledge of what to expect. 2) Hey everybody, Patrick Willis is okay
All-Pro Patrick WIllis has been out the entire preseason with a broken hand. I'm not exactly sure what this does, Patrick, but I'm going to trust you on this one. 3) Sack Feast
With the Packers' left tackle, Bryan Bulaga out for the season -- thankfully for The Blind Side, we now know is the second-most important position in football -- this poses a huge problem for the Packers' offensive line. Aldon Smith, who apparentlylikes target practice in all aspects of the word, should focus his efforts on terrorizing Aaron Rodgers rather than worrying who has next for beer pong. For previous guides, click below Preseason Week 2 Preseason Week 3 Preseason Week 4
By Justin Cheng Training camp can often be a grind, especially for veterans who have secure jobs. Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis brought a special friend to work to keep his teammates on edge.
By Justin Cheng If there was anything more baffling than Miley Cyrus' VMA performance, it was Week 3 of the preseason for the San Francisco 49ers. Here is a quick GIF recap of Week 3.
Three jackasses (one not pictured & one of whom was a Colts fan) ran onto the field to audition as pinch runners for the San Francisco Giants' oversized third baseman. (via SBNation)
Rookie Quinton Patton's audition went just about as well. (via SBNation)
Lavelle Hawkins' three unsportsmanlike penalties on two plays proved to the world that not everyone that graduates from Berkeley is a genius. (via SBNation)
With the regular season just around the corner, the 49ers are just about set on their next Super Bowl run. Position battles have been all but set, and according to Taylor Price (@TaylorPrice49) of 49ers.com, we may not get to see much of our favorite 49er veterans in the final preseason game. However, that does not mean we are not in for a show, considering the antics we saw just four days earlier. Here are some quick things to look for in Week 4. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers vs. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1) FINAL ROSTER CUTS
The 49ers placed five players on the Reserve/NFI list and sent Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree to the Reserve/PUP list. In doing so, the team only had to cut two players, British discus thrower Lawrence Okoye and Lamar Divens. This was quite a genius move by the front office staff, as that allows them to evaluate all the players in the last preseason game before making final cuts. Here are some final position battles that we should take a look at. Running back: Jewel Hampton, DJ Harper Wide Receiver: Lavelle Hawkins, Austin Collie Linebacker: Michael Wilhoite, Nick Moody, Corey Lemonier (Lemon-yay!), Cam Johnson
Cornerback: Nnamdi Asomugha, Perrish Cox
2) Quarterback Carousel (update)
Colt McCoy was given ample opportunities to prove himself in Week 3. He operated in a very vanilla offense (referring to the game plan, not his skin color) and completed 11 of 15 passes for 109 yards. McCoy, who was amidst trade rumors this week and gave up over half his contract money, was named as the backup to Colin Kaepernick. Such similar desperation can be seen in strip clubs, where guys throw money to see some ass and tits. With the backup spot secured, this leaves the door open for B.J. Daniels, who has continued to be impressive, and recently signed Seneca Wallace to battle for the third quarterback spot. Week 4 of the preseason should feature more of these two, or have a two-person Hunger Games fight to the death. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Depth Chart Starter: Colin Kaepernick Second String: Colt McCoy Third String: B.J. Daniels / Seneca Wallace 3) Starting Eric Reid
The 49ers would not play someone who has not earned the right to -- ahem, AJ Jenkins -- so it's extremely encouraging to see that this year's first-round draft choice has earned the starting safety spot. Reid has drawn high praise from fellow safety Donte Whitner, who said, "...he's (Reid) always been a good student, a student of the game. When you put those two in a guy that is willing to work, that's why you win a starting free safety spot on arguably the best defense as a rookie. It's hard to do, and he did it."
This past offseason, 49ers fans were concerned about the loss of hard-hitting, All-Pro safety Dashon Goldon, but Reid can lay out some wood as well.
It may seem like I'm hyping up the last week of a boring preseason, but this is actually a critical part of the season. However these position battles pan out, nothing will be quite shocking as Hannah Montana humping a foam penis.
by Justin Cheng Since the San Francisco Giants are bound for a long offseason, it looks like we have two frontrunners for the next powerhouse on Dancing With The Stars.
AJ Jenkins (left) was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday.
49ers management started the Week 3 of the preseason with a huge bang, cutting the cord with last year's first-round pick, AJ Jenkins, trading him to the Kansas City Chiefs for wide receiver Jon Baldwin. This comes a day after Jim Harbaugh said Jenkins would likely expand his role as kick returner. Jenkins, who couldn't catch a common cold, let alone footballs, was expected to give the 49ers a much needed deep threat, coming off a loss in the 2011 NFC championship game. Jenkins was only active in three games in 2012, costing the 49ers $1.2 million, which by Johnny Manziel standards, is two weeks worth of signing his own jersey.
The 49ers defense was suffocating.
With two weeks until the start of the regular season, the 49ers are still one of the clear favorites to win the Super Bowl. The defensive line absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage and terrorized Alex Smith like lions on a piece of meat or walkers on Rick Grimes. While Colin Kaepernick was given one series of playtime, B.J. Daniels, as predicted in our guide to Preseason Week 2, got some valuable minutes and orchestrated a final scoring drive to beat the Chiefs 15-13.
Now that we got the battle of the prodigal quarterback over with, we can refocus for Week 3. With August 27 as the date when teams have to trim their rosters from 90 to 75, this is the time when players really need to start making good impressions on their coaches. Practice reps are a weeklong audition for playing time, which will be sparse compared to the first two games of the preseason.
As much as I hate looking at this picture, red zone offense is a huge question mark for the reigning NFC champions. There is no question that Kaepernick has a rocket arm, but the progression he has made in that aspect of his game is yet to be determined. Harbaugh is bound to unleash the beast -- at least for the first quarter -- for Sunday's game, then we can make judgments if body shots, GQ covers, and oddly coordinated outfitshave deterred any progress from being made.
2) QB Carousel
With the addition of Seneca Wallace into the mix, this makes for one crowded neapolitan quarterback competition. 49ers Insider Matt Maiocco reported that after his performance against the Chiefs, B.J. Daniels would start getting some more looks at quarterback with the second team offense. So far in the preaseason, Scott Tolzien and Colt McCoy's performances have been laughable, throwing a combined whopping zero touchdowns, three interceptions, and 264 yards.
--Recommendation-- Don't put too much stock into Daniels' latest performance against the Chiefs. Daniels entered late in the third quarter, and most of the players that he was facing are more than likely to be out of the league in two weeks.
--Depth Chart Prediction-- Starter: Colin Kaepernick Second String: Seneca Wallace Third String: Colt McCoy Seneca Wallace has been a backup in this league for ten years. Such experience is indispensable, and he looks to be slotted to make the team as Kaepernick's backup. Colt McCoy still hasn't shown much in two outings, and this week will be pretty critical if he wants be the second string back up. He has shown good mobility, rushing for 37 yards against the Chiefs. McCoy has the ability to be a solid backup in this league but will probably be the third string. B.J. Daniels will not be on the quarterback depth chart . Last week's guide noted how Daniels lined up at running back and tight end, so he will make the team because of his versatility. If not, he will probably be stashed away for development on the practice squad. 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.
3) Seattle Stomp Job
The Seattle Seahawks' 40-10 beatdown of the Denver Broncos, another favorite to win the Super Bowl this year, should have bandwagon 49ers fans quaking in their new #7 jerseys. The Seahawks absolutely dismantled the Broncos, a beat down that had not been seen since Dwayne Johnson was The Rock and not chasing Dominic Toretto in his rice rocket. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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!)
By Justin Cheng It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Stephen Curry(?!) For those of you who think Curry can only shoot beyond the arc, you might want to take a look at what the Golden State Warriors star is doing in the offseason.
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.
"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
Who the hell is Scott Tolzien?
— _MarkGT_ (@EstradaAMark) August 9, 2013
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!
With under two months left in the 2013 schedule, the reigning world champions are currently dead last in the NL West. Only the most hardcore of fans realize that August and September will be the biggest test of loyalty since MTV aired 30 episodes of the X Effect. For the Facebook bandwagoners that will reappear next October, 13 games under .500 and 15 games from first place doesn't mean that these last games mean nothing. The last two months of the season serves as an evaluation tool, where potential free-agent veterans can prove being worthy of landing a multi-million dollar contract and young stars will try to make a name for themselves to begin a career in the big leagues.
In the City by the Bay, you will more than likely hear the fair share of baseball talk, whether its at a dive establishment like Chug Pub or during a casual stroll down the Financial District. Don't oust yourself from a fruitful Giant debate or else you'll find yourself conversing about your job, which is probably something that you don't have, considering that you're reading this blog. Here is a quick guide to understanding the last two months of the Giants' season. For the lady bandwagoners: The only thing that turns on a guy more than knowing great deal about sports is....well, nothing really. This will assuredly score you the man of your dreams, like so...
For the male bandwagoners: You need this. Badly. The Giants are the most popular team in the Bay Area --sorry, Oakland fans-- and being completely oblivious about them will be met with a reaction similar to seeing one with leprosy.
With Barry Zito, Tim Lincecum, and Chad Gaudin set to be free agents at the end of this year, the future of Giants' starting pitching is starting to look bleak. Zito will be a long gone memory in 2014, as has fallen out of the rotation with a 5.40 ERA and has not pitched well in two relief appearances. Lincecum (of late) and Gaudin (all season) have been pitching well and will command large contracts in the open market if their August and September performances remain steady. Giants loyalists should hope that these two will not price themselves out of the Giants' pay range, or else we will be seeing a lot more of Mike Kickham and Eric Surkamp. 2) Empty Farm
For those of you hopeful that the Giants have prospects bursting out of their farm system, well, we don't. Each one of our high prospects has been shot down (figuratively...well, not really). San Jose and Fresno have yet to send up a valuable player since Buster Posey. Players such as Gary Brown (OF) , Heath Hembree (RHP), Kyle Crick (RHP), Chris Stratton (RHP), and Joe Panik (SS) have been mentioned being the highest rated prospects within the organization, but considering that they haven't been called up when the Giants have been hit with injuries, do not appear to be major league-ready.
3) No Giancarlo
Sorry ladies, but Giancarlo Stanton will not be a San Francisco Giant anytime soon. The Miami Marlins have been known to conduct a Black Friday sale or two. However, they have always demanded promising prospects in return for their stars. Considering the last point, the Giants may not have enough firepower to even please Jeffrey Loria, the penny-pinching owner of the Marlins.
4) 99 Free Agency Problems But Hov Ain't One
Don't get any crazy ideas that we will get the best player on the market, Robinson Cano. Jay-Z has recently gotten into the agent game and will be looking to make a huge splash with his first big client and will command a contract upwards of $100 million. Jay-Z has the potential to be a Daniel Hardman in a firm ruled by Harvey Specter a.k.a. General Manager Brian Sabean. Sabean likes to get the biggest bang for his buck. Look for him to sign players like Corey Hart, Matt Garza, Phil Hughes, and Shin Soo-Choo.
Giant Questions for 2013 and Beyond by Justin Cheng
Torture in 2010 looked a lot different than its current state. Following a three-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, the feel-good memories of the 2012 playoffs and World Series are more than long gone. The world champions do not remotely look close to the team that swept the Detroit Tigers and face three huge questions for this season and beyond. 1) Why are the Giants losing?
In the past three years, the Giants have masked their ineptitude on offense by playing stellar defense. In comparison, the 2013 Giants are 23rd in runs scored in all of baseball, and to boot, have made the most errors of any team in the National League. The Giants have had signature wins in each of their past three seasons and have had enormous amounts of momentum going into the stretch run. Brandon Belt's Bill Buckner impersonation on Friday night was just a summarization of how the Giants have been playing all year; earlier in the year when the Giants were scoring in bunches, the starting pitching did not play up to par, and now when the pitching has seen a glimmer of improvement, errors have absolutely destroyed any hope of putting together a series of wins.
2) What is up with the starting rotation?
The rise and fall of the Giants has been tied to their starting pitching. Aside from Madison Bumgarner and Chad Gaudin, the starting pitching has yet to find its groove and has not had a consistent bullpen to match. Coming off his first season in $127 million contract, staff ace, Matt Cain, has strung some good outings but will have the occasional six-run smashing, including a 0.2 inning performance against the Mets. Coming into this season, the Giants knew what to expect from Lincecum and Zito, but with Cain struggling and Vogelsong out since May, the Giants rotation has yet to fully recover, and they have a record that shows for it. --Opinion-- The Giants' best Triple A arms, Mike Kickham and Eric Surkamp, have been blasted in their starts, and don't look ready to be reliable major league players. The Giants may have to look externally for some pitching help if they are going to salvage this season.
3) Will Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum be traded?
The Giants are in dire need of starting pitching with Zito, Lincecum, Gaudin, and Vogelsong ($6.5 million team option for 2014) not being under contract for next year. Pence and Lincecum both will become free agents and the end of the season, and their names have been thrown out in trade rumors for the better half of the last month. GM Brian Sabean has denied his willingness to trade either of these players, but these two are the biggest trade chips to potentially re-up for next season.
--Opinion-- Pence is the ultimate optimist and has said that he wants to stay with the club. It is not often that you find guys that can hit 20+ home runs with 100 RBIs, especially for the Giants. The farm system has not produced a good position player since Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. I say that the Giants take a chance on his impending free-agency, banking that he stays true to his word. For goodness sake, he played on the Astros for four seasons. If anybody can stay with them for more than a week, I am going to bet my house that they are undyingly loyal. Lincecum, on the other hand, may not have the same trade market value, seeing as he has struggled on his command for the past two seasons. However, there should be some teams that will fall in love with his résumé and attempt to convert him into a reliever. The Freak, albeit a very intricate part of the team, has not appeared to be able to live up to the expectations that he set for himself earlier in his career. If the Giants are able to get a big name prospect in return for Lincecum, it may be time to turn the page.
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!)
Is the Giants' Third Baseman to Blame? By Justin Cheng
Giants fans have long adorned this jovial figure, who has amazed us with his cannon arm and ability to hit any pitch within the area code. Panda hats are a must-have at AT&T Park, all thanks to the Kung Fu Panda. His three homeruns during Game 1 of the World Series were a historic and marvelous sight. But what happens when these memories fade and we clearly see him for who he is?
A rough two-week stretch has the reigning champions in last place, and everyone outside of Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner has been less than stellar.While Sandoval isn't the only one who has been struggling, it's time to revoke the courteous pass that he has been allotted. The Kung Fu Panda has been more Panda than martial artist and is batting a forgetful .128 in his last ten games, with two RBIs in the last 19 contests. The routine groundball out has turned into a magnificent event and the free-swinging has turned into swinging at balls five feet in front of home plate.
This is when I feel like jamming some Lean Pockets in Pablo's face. I don't think I've ever seen a professional athlete with such disregard for his body. He might not be out destroying his liver on the eve of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with Rihanna -- yeah, I'm looking at you, J.R. Smith -- or snorting white lines like Dwight Gooden. What he does seem to get the idea that his body is the vessel for his career, much like a surgeon requires steady hands or a sniper requires good eyesight. For me, it's tiresome watching a talented athlete that lacks so the drive to perform better. His four seasons with the Giants have had glimpses of his elite-level talent, but never has he cracked into that discussion due to the mass of injuries that he has accumulated in the past two seasons.
It's undeniable that Pablo is one of the game's best hitters when he is right, but it's time for him to treat his body as a temple rather than preparing for winter hibernation. Giants fans also need to wake up from the illusion that our "star" third-baseman has such a status and is currently average at best at the current pace. If he doesn't get this right quickly, Willy Wonka -- or in this case, Brian Sabean -- will soon call his oompa loompas to roll him back to Fresno.
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!)
