5 Takeaways After 5 weeks
The 49ers need a turnaround with 12 games remaining in the season. What did we learn so far? Let's dive into it.
The team misses Raheem Mostert Jeff Wilson.
When Jason Verrett went down, I thought the 49ers defense was doomed. To my surprise, the defense has held it together. But the losses of Mostert and Wilson left holes the size of California. Against the Cardinals, Elijah Mitchell had a great opportunity to score in the first half. Instead of cutting outside with the goalline within his sight, he went inside to get tackled. The series ended without any score. If the 49ers had either Mostert or Wilson, the same play most likely would have resulted in a touchdown.
If Wilson can come back by the halfway point of the season, it will help the struggling offense.
What lies ahead for George Kittle?
Kittle is a crowd favorite. But this season, he will miss at least three games, plus he missed eight games last season. And it is not just the injuries that bug me when it comes to Kittle. He seemed to be very biased on the quarterback situation when it is evident Garoppolo is not the answer moving forward.
Kittle pointed to the coaching staff to find solutions for the opposing defenses playing the secondary close to the line of scrimmage. The lack of a deep passing game from Garoppolo makes life so much easier for the defending team.
I want to see where Kittle decides to lean when it comes to the possible quarterback controversy.
The team is learning from some of the mistakes.
Every time a player is available in the open market, 49ers fans start to chase the idea of acquiring the player. But the 49ers seemed not to get excited by players who are either past their prime or especially injury-prone. Richard Sherman's availability looked like a great match to the already depleted secondary. But the decision not to go ahead proved correct after Sherman got injured in Tampa.
Garoppolo was the biggest mistake.
The belief was that this team is a Super Bowl contender. After five weeks, the reality is sinking into many minds. Not only is Garoppolo is injured, but the situation has also created too much drama.
Different opinions emerge within the team as well as the fan base. The 49ers could have taken a page out of Bill Belichick's book and traded away Garoppolo. The longer he stays as the starter, the longer the 49ers will drag out the future development of this team and Trey Lance.
Was Trey Lance the No. 3 pick Shanahan wanted?
As every week passes, I question whether Kyle Shanahan wanted to draft Lance at No. 3. His arrogance in developing Lance as the future quarterback of the franchise is mind-boggling.
After just five games of Garoppolo in 2017, the 49ers jumped all in with him as the future starter. The action indicated Shanahan had been convinced enough to trust the ability of Garoppolo to carry the franchise. This begs us why there is no urgency in developing Lance after moving up in the draft with a desperate move. The lack of interest tells us a different story than the 49ers front office tried to tell.
The only explanation that I have is Lance was not the preferred choice. If Shanahan is not ready to coach Lance, the 49ers should move on from the head coach during this off-season.
