Another NFL season is upon us, the 102nd, and hopefully it can be a damn sight better than last year. Last year was a strange Covid related season, the 49ers ended up having to play home games in Arizona, there was the hangover from losing the previous year’s Superbowl, and it was another injury plagued season. What many supporters were expecting to be a winning season, with another playoff run turned out to be a bitter disappointment and we limped to an uninspired losing season.
It’s been another long offseason, but at least there has been some kind of pre season this year. And that’s thrown up some interesting looks for the team for the season. With Trey Lance taken as the first pick by the 49ers in the draft (and trading up to do so) it brings about the possibility of a quarterback controversy as the season possesses. Although having both him and Jimmy G lining up in the backfield at the same time could lead to some very interesting play calls.
The first game of the season is tomorrow, and we are away at the Detroit Lions, a team that were an even bigger car crash than us last season, and one that have lost Matt Stafford (why to the Rams of all places), who has carried them for the last half dozen years or so, and look to be in a bigger mess than they were last year. But starting the season against the Lions has previously been a good omen for us, the twice we have played them in the first game of the season we have gone on to win the Superbowl, it would be a happy hat trick.
I was upbeat in my season preview last year, which as anyone who knows me will attest to, is most unlike me, I am definitely a glass half empty person. And yet I’m still optimistic for this year. Nearly as optimistic as last year. We have kept the core of a great defence, and we have players back from injury which should make us better than our very patchy season last year.
But, how optimistic? It’s difficult, there is little doubt that we are in the strongest division – certainly in the NFC. NFL power rankings have us in the top ten, but behind both the Rams and Seahawks. Lindy’s had us finishing second in the division, making the playoffs, and somehow from that second place in the division to getting through to the conference final. I’d be happy with any of that to be fair.
There aren’t going to be as many unknowns this season. Crowds are back for a start. There aren’t likely (touching wood and crossing fingers) to be any enforced changes of stadium for games. And (touching wood, crossing fingers, chanting warding spells and anything else that could help) we really, really, really can’t have another season with such a horrendous raft of injuries.
The regular season is going to be different though. From a nice even, well appointed schedule of 16 games; in what can only be seen as a money making idea, that schedule is thrown out by adding another random game into the mix and making it a 17 game season. (I’m still not sure which orifice they have dragged who the extra team to be played has been dragged out of, and I doubt I’ll have it sorted in my head before they change it again and go to an 18 games schedule.) It does mean than no team can now have a .500 season (OK, yes they could if they have a tie, which we all know, despite my pick six picks, is rarer than rocking horse shit, and even if they do they then have to go .500 for their other sixteen games. In summary, it’s not very likely.)
And speaking of pick six. I have taken a step back from active involvement in supporting the 49ers. I stopped running the pick six game for the NEGB, and de-admined (yes, I’m making words up at this point) myself in the group, didn’t join the fantasy league, and barely even got around to making my six picks every week. But, I’m back running the pick six this year, I’ve found a couple of scoring wrinkles to put into the mix and joined the fantasy league. Unfortunately I wasn’t around for the live draft, and although happy in most places, I have the (as Homer so elegantly put it), “the worst bunch of sucks that ever sucked” as running backs. I’ll need some free agency and waiver action going to even get enough active running backs to start a week’s action.
As for watching games, Sky have the NFL channel again, and I will imagine there will be a number of times the 49ers are shown live. Not that it matters, as I don’t have Sky Sports and as previously stated, I won’t be getting it, as it ties you in for years, screwing up your existing contract. If they stop putting RedZone on Sky Sports Mix though, there might be murders. And with the likelihood of numerous games on Sky then it probably means Game pass isn’t value for money either. Dodgy streams seem the most likely (again).
So, here goes, here’s the moment no one has been waiting for, the prediction. I think we will go into the season finale against the Rams needing a win to win the division, which we do and finish 12-5. Superbowl? Not quite, I see heartbreak in the NFC championship game. (Disclaimer, if the QB situation blows up, this could all go wrong. Rapidly.)
Which only leaves me with one thing to say before the season gets underway.
Go Niners!