SANTA CLARA Alex Pietrangelo Jersey Kids , Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers sure are getting a lot of attention for a team coming off a six-win season that hasn’t even sniffed the playoffs the past four years.
That’s what a season-ending five-game winning streak and the presence of a potential franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo will do.
One group not buying into all the hype is in the San Francisco locker room.
“There’s no one (here) who thinks we arrived,” said left tackle Joe Staley, the only player left from the Niners‘ last playoff team in 2013. “We have a ton of work to do. We were a 6-10 football team. We were happy with the way we finished last year, but that’s in the past.”
San Francisco put together that sterling 5-0 finish after a dreadful start to the first season under coach Kyle Shanahan that featured nine straight losses to begin the schedule, including a record five straight by three points or fewer.
That all began to change after the team acquired Garoppolo before the trade deadline from New England. After a few weeks to learn the offense, Garoppolo stepped in and showed why the Patriots had groomed him as Tom Brady’s successor.
He completed 67.4 percent of his passes last season, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt with seven TDs, five interceptions and a 96.2 rating to improve to 7-0 in his career as a starter.
Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts last season, Garoppolo ranked first in yards per attempt, fourth in completion percentage. His 308.4 yards passing per game in his five starts also would have led the league had he played a full season.
But more importantly Youth Jake McCabe Jersey , he changed the mindset of a whole franchise.
“Jimmy is confident in himself,” Shanahan said. “I think everyone felt that right away. That’s why guys gravitate to guys. It doesn’t matter what people say or how they act. People can tell when people believe in themselves and when they don’t. But, it shows the most on the field. When you’re having success as a quarterback, as a receiver, as anybody, that confidence is only going to grow. When people start seeing you, the more plays you can put together the higher it gets.”
Here are some other things to watch this season:
SHERMAN’S HEALTH: One of the most high-profile moves San Francisco made in free agency was signing Richard Sherman after his release in Seattle. After years of tormenting the Niners, Sherman has flipped sides in the NFC West rivalry. But how effective he will be will depend heavily on his health. His 2017 season was cut short by surgery on his Achilles tendon. Sherman hopes to overcome that at age 30. He was slowed by a hamstring problem in camp, so it’s uncertain how much speed he’s lost from his days as the league’s top cover cornerbacks.
REUBEN’S ROLE: Reuben Foster showed signs of being an elite inside linebacker as a rookie when he was on the field. The problem was he missed five full games with injuries and left several others for periods of time. Having Foster at middle linebacker is key and the Niners have tried to get him to use his hands more to limit the wear and tear on his body. But Foster already will miss the first two games because of a suspension following two offseason arrests, and San Francisco can’t afford to be without him much more.
RUSH THE PASSER: San Francisco failed to generate much pass pressure last year Jack Johnson Jersey , getting only 30 sacks. Elvis Dumervil was cut after leading the team with 6 ½, and no one else had more than three. Despite the lack of production, DeForest Buckner is one of the league’s top defensive linemen. He generates consistent pressure and could get more opportunities outside to get one-on-one matchups that could lead to more sacks.
DEEP THREAT: One of the most impressive 49ers last year was speedy WR Marquise Goodwin, who smashed his career highs with 56 catches for 962 yards in his first season with San Francisco. The former Olympic long jumper proved he can be more than a deep threat as he ranked in the top six in catches (29) and yards (384) in five games with Garoppolo.
“He’s continued to get better in every facet of his game,” Shanahan said. “He probably hasn’t gotten faster, he’s always been fast. But his hands have gotten better, he’s gotten more consistent. He tracks the ball well. It’s not just catching the easy ones now, he’s starting to make some tough ones.”
RUN THE ROCK: The Niners let Carlos Hyde leave in free agency and replaced him with a more versatile back in Jerick McKinnon. But McKinnon went down with a season-ending knee injury, leaving a big hole on the offense. Alfred Morris was signed midway through camp and could be the main back with little-used Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert the other options.
The Arizona Cardinals have signed free agent offensive lineman Justin Pugh to a five-year contract.The 6-foot-5, 311-pound Pugh – who has plays guard or tackle – spent the past five seasons with the New York Giants Youth Jaden Schwartz Jersey , where he started 63 games. Pugh was a first-round draft pick – 19th overall – out of Syracuse in 2013. The deal is worth $45 million with an average $9 million annual salary.
He said at an introductory news conference Saturday that he was drawn by ”the culture” of the Cardinals.
”The culture that they have, the culture they had going on, the way they run this facility and program, I had no idea,” Pugh said. ”So, to come out here and meet them. I was blown away. I’m an East Coast guy, born and raised in the Northeast, went to Syracuse, been playing in New York for five years. I was a little bit nervous coming out West. They put me at ease.”
The 27-year-old lineman has started 36 games at right tackle, 26 games at left guard and one game at left tackle. He said he expects to play guard with the Cardinals Authentic Mitchell Marner Jersey , probably on the right side.
He is the second offensive lineman the Cardinals have added in free agency. The team signed former Cincinnati tackle Andre Smith to a two-year contract on Friday.
Pugh finished last season on injured reserve with a back injury that did not require surgery. But he said he expects no problems in that area.
”I wasn’t concerned with it at all,” he said. ”I went to Dr. (Robert) Watkins, who is probably regarded as one of the top back specialists in the country, and to hear it from him what I have going on, nothing structurally, no surgery required. It was a muscle thing.”
He said he probably tried to come back from the injury too soon and that landed him on injured reserve.
Pugh went to college with Arizona All-Pro outside linebacker Chandler Jones. He said both vowed to be drafted in the first round when they were at Syracuse and both were.
Pugh acknowledged one concern about moving to the desert.
”Snakes,” he said. ”I was like `Tell me I’m not going to have rattlesnakes on my front yard, and I’m good. I don’t mess with snakes.”’
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