PHOTO: D. ROSS CAMERON
The 49ers will be on your TV screen — and your radio dial! — on Saturday.
Yeah, it’s preseason, and coach Kyle Shanahan has made it abundantly clear that a preseason game, like John Nance Garner’s alleged description of the vice presidency, ain’t worth a bucket of warm spit.
Still, we haven’t seen that classic 49ers red and gold on our TV screens since Jan. 5, 2025, and that brings us to today’s brief Jock Blog meditation:
In those seven months since we last saw the Niners —who got smoked by the host Arizona Cardinals, 47-24, despite Joshua Dobbs’ 324 passing yards and Patrick Taylor Jr’s 109 rushing yards — how has your opinion of the direction of the franchise changed?
For yours truly, there have been multiple iterations.
Phase One: the season mercifully ended and I went with the “Refresh, Refuel and Revenge” theme, figuring the resurgent health of Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams, plus the absence of a taxing post-season run and the avoidance of the tragic Super Bowl Loss Hangover, would bring the 49ers back into contention. This Phase of optimism came with an exclamation point: Robert Saleh was re-hired as defensive coordinator!
Oh, and the 49ers could look forward to a last-place schedule.
Phase Two: In which the optimism of Phase One fades. In March, the 49ers hemorrhaged talent in free agency and salary reduction, headlined by the loss of heart-and-soul linebacker Dre Greenlaw and franchise icon Deebo Samuel. Throw in the departures of Talanoa Hufanga, Leonard Floyd, Javon Hargrave — heck, even swing tackle Jaylon Moore — and the 49ers suddenly looked like a team with no Super Bowl in sight.
Not even a last-place schedule seemed to sooth the pain.
Phase Three: In the later spring, hope returned. The draft saw a haul of young defensive targets, giving the team an identity. If the 49ers were to return to contention, the idea of Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams, Texas defensive tackle Alfred Collins, Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin, Western Kentucky defensive back Upton Stout, Indiana defensive tackle CJ West and Kansas State safety Marques Sigle gave a sheen of youth and fresh legs. On top of this youth infusion came the long-term contract for Brock Purdy, avoiding any summertime drama. That Fred Warner and George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk re-upped suddenly brought back better vibes.
All that, plus a last-place schedule!
Phase Four, CURRENT: Which brings us to now, and it’s not awesome.
This phase is re-introducing skepticism. Jauan Jennings showed up to camp alongside an ESPN report that he wanted a new contract, or a trade. He has since missed more than a week with a calf issue, but skeptical minds wonder how much it’s a calf, and how much it’s a contract. A listener texted in calling it a “calf-tract”.
On top of that, injuries are starting to pile up. First-round draft pick Williams hyper-extended a knee in the joint practice against the Broncos, and will miss a week or more of reps. The running back room is thinner now, with 2024 draft pick Isaac Guerendo out because of a shoulder injury, and 2025 draft pick Jordan James out with a broken finger. The d-line also lost Kevin Givens to a pectoral injury, among others.
And then there was the joint practice, in which observers noted the Broncos defense swarmed the 49ers early on, exposing an offensive line resting Trent Williams. Though the 49ers did move the ball later on in practice, it was discouraging to read that the Niners offense, under newly-minted Purdy and camp star Ricky Pearsall, did not glide through the Broncos.
That brings us to Saturday’s events at Levi’s Stadium.
Assigning importance to a preseason game is a fool’s errand, unless you can remind me of the last time a 49ers Super Bowl run was fueled by something that happened in a preseason game.
But still — it would be nice to see something good happen for a player who can help re-shift the narrative before the Sept. 7 opener at Seattle. Maybe West at defensive tackle makes a sack. Maybe fourth-round receiver Jordan Watkins catches a touchdown. Maybe Stout breaks up a pass.
Right now, the “Refresh, Refuel, Revenge” tour has hit a little bit of August doldrums.
They do still have that last-place schedule, right?
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