Another new NFL season is upon us, and to say I am not prepared is a massive understatement. I’m sure that July was only last week. But apparently no, it’s the second weekend in September and the first game of the new season is tonight, as reigning Superbowl Champions the Los Angeles Rams (it hurts to have to type that) take on most people’s favourites for a Superbowl win this year, the Buffalo Bills on the first Thursday Night Football of the season. And therefore, this has been thrown together and typed up in a bit of a rush without any research or actual fact gathering. (So much so it would be a much better preview of a team such as the Eagles, Falcons, Cardinals, Ravens, or Seahawks, as I’m totally winging this.)
The mass dismantling of the Rams that was foretold after their win back in February hasn’t really happened, and a large majority of their winning team is back this year. It could have been us, but the 49ers ran out of offensive ability in the final quarter of NFC Conference Final. Although to be fair it was more luck than judgement we got there. A last play of the match in the final regular season game saw us beat the Rams and squeeze into the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers had his usual missing in action game against the 49ers in the wild card game, and the Cowboys showed they were just that bit better at shooting themselves in the foot in the divisional round.
The offseason has been more of a soap opera than East Coronation Dale Oaks could ever be. Between Deebo Samuel and Jimmy G it’s been a drama roller coaster over the summer. Deebo has been persuaded to stay with top dollar, which we hope he plays up to. Meanwhile we haven’t been able to give Jimmy G away for a dollar. It looks as if we are going to start with Trey Lance at quarterback, and have the most expensive backup quarterback in the league.
After the travails of the end of last season now more than six months down the line, my nails and hair have all grown back just in time for the new season. Quarterback discussions aside, we look to be a more settled team this year, we’ve kept most of our high performing players.
Trent Williams became the first offensive lineman to earn a 99 rating in Madden since 2007, and was only the fourth 49er to get that accolade (Terrell Owens, Patrick Willis, and Ken Norton Jr were the others. Although Jerry Rice did get a now defunct 100 rating). He was the highest rated of the seven 49ers players to make the NFL top 100 list for the new season. (Deebo, Kittle, Bosa, Warner, Ward, and Juszczyk being the others)
The talent is there, but can they put it all together? Will Trey Lance make the offense more potent, so that we can convert more of our possessions into points (7’s not 3’s), instead of having to rely on our stellar defence to keep the opposition score down. If he can then I can’t see the season being anything else apart from good. Outside of the Rams, our division may be less testing than it has been over the last few years. Not sure what Cardinals will turn up this year, the ones that started the season like a train last year, or the ones that couldn’t get out of their own way at the end of the season. But playing the Seahawks should be easier. Eternal pain in the backside Russell Wilson has gone to the Broncos, and so there will be no pulling miracles out of his arse against us for the chewing gum obsessed Pete Carroll this year.
Outside of the division it’s hard to look past the Packers and Buccaneers again this year in the NFC. The Cowboys may pretend to look good, but it’s easy to do when their division is more like Brit Bowl standard (and seriously, which halfwit took nearly two years to come up with the new Washington nickname and after all that time thought Commanders was a good name. If they wanted an apt name for what goes on in Washington, they really should have gone with Dumpster Fires).
There really shouldn’t be any reason why we can’t make it to the playoffs. 12-5 is well within our reach, and a third NFC Conference final in four years is a distinct possibility, without most of the dramas of last season. And playing for an extra five minutes this year would se us to the Superbowl.
And when we get there, I don’t care who we play. Whoever survives out of the Bills, Chiefs, Chargers, and Bengals will have been worn down enough for us to take advantage.
Which means I’ve just predicted that we’ll go all the way and win the Superbowl. That probably shows just how much I’m out of it, as it is far too positive for me. Let’s hope that doesn’t mean the new four-leaf clover addition causes the horseshoe to fall off the wall and crush the rabbit’s foot.
Go Niners!