By: Jeremy Trottier

What better time to write a potential Hall of Fame piece than just after Christian McCaffrey just put together the first triple crown (1 rushing TD, 1 receiving TD, 1 passing TD) since 2005?  There is no better time.  In this article I will be discussing the career of premier back Christian McCaffrey, and if his career trajectory could be one that could be enshrined in Canton, Ohio someday in the future.  So without further ado, let’s get right into it. 

Stats & Accolades

Let me put something into perspective quickly.   Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers, one of the best to ever do it no doubt, had 4,956 rushing yards, 1,307 receiving yards, 9 receiving touchdowns, and 39 rushing touchdowns in 7 seasons (65 games started, 68 played).  CMC has 4,112 rushing yards, 3,371 receiving yards, 19 receiving touchdowns, and 33 rushing touchdowns in 5 ½ seasons (59 games started, 66 played).  We talk about how injured McCaffrey is, and yet through 6 seasons he will likely play more games and start more games than Sayers, and if he can really take off these last 8 games, he could even surpass Sayers in rushing yards and touchdowns.  Keep in mind this is on similar efficiency as well, with Sayers having 5.0 YPC and CMC having 4.6 YPC behind what is one of the worst offensive lines of our generation. 

McCaffrey is also a 1-time pro bowler and a 1-time first-team all-pro, and frankly one of the most impressive halfbacks in recent memory, even with the injuries. 

So is he on a HOF trajectory?

Projecting a Hall of Fame career when the player is 26 years old is difficult, as this player still is just entering their prime years, and we saw that this past weekend with McCaffrey.  Comparing him to Gale is just for effect, as I left out the fact that Sayers won CBPOY, OROY, 5 first-team all-pro selections, 4 pro bowls, 2x rushing leader, 1x scoring leader, and a Bears legend.  However, with CMC now on a competent franchise, seemingly healthy, and with a run-heavy coach who knows how to get backs production?  As well as a potential Super Bowl window?  There is potential here for CMC to get his name back into the elite status and really cement himself with some hardware.  We will see where his career takes him, but he is on the right track for now. 

The post Is Christian McCaffrey a future Hall of Famer? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Andy Davies

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. Only the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers (both 6) have more Super Bowl wins than the 49ers (5). The 49ers’ five Super Bowls all came between the years of 1981 and 1994. They have lost two since, in the 2012 and 2019 seasons. The quarterbacks that led the 49ers to the Lombardi Trophy were Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young. Three of those five wins saw Montana as the starter and Young as the backup.

Young is seen by many as the best backup quarterback in history, considering the gold jacket that he earned despite many years as the backup to Montana. He would win a Super Bowl as the starter after the franchise moved on from Montana. Ever since Young decided to hang up his cleats, the 49ers have struggled to find his replacement. Have they found the guy in Trey Lance?

Perhaps, but here is why the quarterback situation involving Lance and current starter Jimmy Garoppolo could prevent the 49ers from winning the NFC West during the 2021 season.

Struggles Since Young

Jeff Garcia was the man to come in for Young. During his five seasons in the Bay, he threw for 113 touchdowns and 56 interceptions as well as 16,408 passing yards. He had a 35-36 record as a starter for the 49ers in the regular season and a 1-2 record in the postseason, meaning he never hit the heights of his predecessor.

Alex Smith was the number one overall pick in 2005, shattering Aaron Rodgers’ dreams. However, he was a good quarterback, not a great quarterback. Colin Kaepernick replaced Smith and took the 49ers to the Super Bowl. They ended up losing to the Baltimore Ravens in a game often called the ”˜Blackout Bowl’. Kaepernick failed to live up to the standards he set that season.

He would be kicked out of the league for taking the knee in a protest against police brutality in 2016. He has not played a snap in the NFL since. Jimmy Garoppolo was traded from the Patriots to the 49ers midway through the 2017 season. He gave hope to the organization after winning all five of the games he started in 2017. The fanbase had hope going into the 2018 season.

Many non-49ers fans had San Francisco down as their dark horse for the season. A season-ending injury to Garoppolo in Week 3 saw the starting role shared between Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard. However, the 49ers finished 4-12 as they went into 2019 with the second overall pick. Nick Bosa was selected and transformed the defense of San Francisco and Jimmy G had the best season of his career. He threw for 3,978 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Despite these stats, Garoppolo saw his production limited in the NFC Championship game as the coaching staff decided to use more of their running game. This led to many questions leading to the Super Bowl. The 49ers threw away a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter as they would end up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.

Garoppolo was criticized heavily for an overthrown pass to Emmanuel Sanders that would have given San Francisco back the lead. His 2020 season saw a mixture of poor form and injury. During the 2021 offseason, the 49ers traded up with the Miami Dolphins to gain the number three overall pick. They took Lance with the pick, showcasing their intentions to eventually move off from Garoppolo. There is now talk of whether San Francisco and head coach Kyle Shanahan will start Lance in week one. The other scenarios discussed are either Lance coming in mid-season or sitting out the whole campaign as the backup to Garoppolo. The uncertainty will have a significant impact on the 49ers’ season.

The Strength of the NFC West

This is a problem that will affect all four teams in the best division in the NFL. There is a chance that all four teams can make the playoffs. Los Angeles has an exciting new quarterback in 2009 first overall pick Matthew Stafford. Both the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals have quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray that they would never dream of trading away. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ starting quarterback is largely unpopular by fans, due to a mixture of the overthrown pass in the Super Bowl, his poor 2020 campaign and his injury record.

San Francisco has the least trusted quarterback in the division. With the position being one of the most crucial in all sports, it does not bode well for a team when there is uncertainty in the position. Garoppolo may be benched at some point during the season for Lance. However, the 49ers would be putting a rookie that will still be learning the system into the toughest division in the NFL.

Learning From Mahomes, Jackson, Tua and Burrow

If San Francisco are to help Lance succeed, they will need to take some lessons from recent draft classes. Patrick Mahomes, widely seen as the best quarterback in the league, spent all but one game of his 2017 rookie season as a backup to Alex Smith. The Chiefs then traded Smith the following offseason and Mahomes has never looked back. In his first three full seasons as a starter in the NFL, he has reached two Super Bowls, winning one. He has also been crowned MVP and Super Bowl MVP and reached three successive AFC Championship games. All three have been at home. On the flip side, 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow started in week one of his rookie year. He wouldn’t last the season, only playing ten games before injury curtailed his first NFL campaign. He was impressive before his injury but there are no guarantees he will be the same player when he returns.

Lamar Jackson was a backup to Joe Flacco during his 2018 rookie year but won the starting role midseason. He has since gone on to win an MVP award and is the future of the franchise. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins brought Tua Tagovailoa in mid-season but he struggled in his rookie season. He is seen to already be on the hot seat, with many feeling the Dolphins rushed him in. These examples all show there are reasons for the 49ers to be hasty when it comes to choosing when to bring Lance into the starting role.

Lance Or Garoppolo In 2021?

The 49ers will have to decide soon who their starter will be in 2021. Considering Lance has only played one full season (2019), he is likely to start the season as the backup. He only threw for a combined total of 31 passing attempts, two touchdowns and 1 interception across the 2018 and 2020 seasons, albeit the latter campaign being disrupted by the pandemic. He is likely to be a work in progress but his 28 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in 2019 mean that he is one for the future.

Garoppolo will likely start in week one but it was clear from the NFC Championship game that Shanahan doesn’t completely trust him.

Jimmy G is a capable quarterback but his health is a concern. Expect Garoppolo to remain as the starter provided the 49ers are winning games but for Lance to come in should Garoppolo either be injured or start the season poorly.

Should this happen, this will be the end of Garoppolo’s time in San Francisco. Depending on timing, he will then be traded either before the deadline or in the 2022 offseason.

Can The 49ers Returning Players Avoid A Repeat Of 2020?

This is key if the 49ers are to challenge for both the NFC West and the NFC. After earning the number one seed and reaching Super Bowl 54 during the 2019 campaign, San Francisco finished 6-10 in 2020 and bottom of the division. A ”˜Super Bowl Hangover’ played its part but the main cause of such a decline was down to a colossal amount of injuries the team suffered. Along with the aforementioned Garoppolo, the 49ers also saw Bosa, Dee Ford, George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel and Solomon Thomas miss large chunks of the 2020 season due to injury.

San Francisco had 33 players reported questionable and there were 186 occasions when the 49ers reported a player on injured reserve. They had the second-most injuries of any team in the NFL over the past twenty years. Should all these players come back, then this 49ers roster will be one of the best in the league. This will make life much easier for whoever the San Francisco starting quarterback is.

However, from the strength of the division to the uncertainty at quarterback, San Francisco will find it tough to win the NFC West.

The post Why the QB situation may prevent the 49ers from winning the NFC West appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Kyle Shanahan’s offense exited the 2020-2021 season with the 15th ranked offense and question marks presuming key positions on offense. Due to the lackluster offensive display and a fourth-place finish in the division, Shanahan made retooling the offense a high priority in the off-season. Now, at the eclipse of the NFL draft, it’s safe to say the new look offense is a major upgrade over the 2020 version. Not only did Shanny impress the NFL world with his additions to the offensive unit, but I believe he put a spark into the unit that can return it to being Top 5 in the league — as it was in 2019. 

Below are three reasons why:

1. Return of George Kittle

George Kittle, the prolific TE, may have just proved in 2020 he’s one of the most indispensable players in the entire league. Kittle showed his worth to the 49ers when he was standing on the sideline for eight games and their offense was abysmal. 

In 2019, Pro Football Focus ranked Kittle the top player in the NFL. So, you may expect serious hurdles when he went down — but nobody would have foreseen the offense looking flat and being a third-down avalanche. Kittle is the key to the run game and pass game. In the past when Kittle went down with an injury, it was revealed that the 49ers YPC went from 4.9 with Kittle in the game, to 3 with him on the sidelines. Kittle flat out demolishes and laughs his way to crushing defenders for the success of the 49ers run game.

In the passing game, Kittle is one of the fastest and “arguably toughest to bring down” skill players in the NFL. Kitlte isn’t just a stat machine, but he also has a knack to making plays at the biggest moments. 

It’s hard to ask much more from a tight end than to be an elite run blocker and an elite pass catcher when the player’s team needs it the most. 

2. Brandon Aiyuk entering year two 

The ceiling of the offense will rely heavily from explosion on the perimeter. Former rookie Brandon Aiyuk is the most talented wideout and they need the former first round pick to show out next season. Aiyuk missed four games last year, but his 16 game average would’ve been very impressive for a rookie: 

• 997 yards
• 7 touchdowns
• 80 receptions

It’s also important to point out that Jimmy Garoppolo missed 10 games last season. Aiyuk performed well with one of the worst QB situations in the league. If Aiyuk is being the electric player he is, it will help his QB play beyond his abilities, create more opportunities for George Kittle from the TE position, then ultimately it will help the team in “tough divisional and playoff games”. 

Aiyuk simply can be the home run hitter and offer what they need to complement methodical drives and a strong running game. 

3. Kenneth Gainwell and Elijah Mitchell 

1991. That was the last time prior to 2021 that the 49ers drafted two RBs in the same draft. Shanahan drafted Trey Sermon AND Elijah Mitchell in the 2021 NFL draft. The 49ers selected Sermon early in the draft (third round), while the 49ers got a steal with Mitchell in the sixth round. 

Sermon clocks a 4.58, which isn’t great for a RB, but the 6’1 220 bruising RB will be a good complement to Mostert’s speed. It can be lightning and thunder in the 49ers backfield. Mitchell is an elusive RB that’s been compared to Alvin Kamara. Kamara may be a stretch and Tarik Cohen may be a better comparison, but Mitchell will likely be involved in the passing game and a nice sprinkle as the RB3. 

The two rookie RBs will look to make an immediate impact in Kyle Shanahan’s orchestra that likes to be very precise with the running game.

The post 3 reasons why the 49ers could return to a top 5 offense: New RBs arrive appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Zach Owen

A string of major injuries coupled with some less than stellar play led to a pretty disappointing year for San Francisco, especially coming off a Super Bowl run in 2019. They still have a solid defense, with young stars like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, but their offense needs to figure some things out. Fortunately, after trading up to the third pick, SF is primed to take a top-tier rookie QB (though who it will be though is a topic for another article). In addition to a new shiny QB though, they’re going to need some other offensive players to take a step up. Let’s take a look at some players SF should be hopeful about in 2021.

Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk

Deebo Samuel was one of the players taken out with injuries in 2020. In the games he played though, he was a player you wanted to get the ball to. He had 401 YAC in just 33 receptions which is an insane 12.1 YAC/rec. This was the first out of all players with at least 20 receptions in 2020 (with second coming in at 10.1 YAC/rec). If that doesn’t convince you how much of a YAC monster he was, how about the fact that he had more YAC (401) than he did total receiving yards (391)?  Basically, Samuel is a real playmaker with the ball in his hands, no question about it. The injuries (including a foot fracture that required surgery) could definitely have an impact but if Samuel comes back healthy, he will be a difference-maker for SF.

Now Aiyuk had a couple of minor injuries last year as well but only ever missed one game at a time from them. With George Kittle and Samuel missing multiple games, Aiyuk stepped up and became the #1 that SF needed. During weeks where Kittle and Samuel were out and Aiyuk played (weeks 10, 14, and 15) Aiyuk’s per-game averages were 14.3 targets, 8.6 receptions, and 89 yards. It’s a very very small sample size but a 14.3 target average would have put him 1st overall in 2020 with 2nd place being Stefon Diggs at 10.4. He’s got a bit of work to do on his efficiency with 6.2 yards per target and 60% catch rate during those three games but he was just a rookie (during the COVID season) and showed he has the skills to be a big player when needed.

SF is going to have a scary receiving corps over the next few years with Kittle, Samuel, and Aiyuk primed and ready to ball out. Whichever QB they draft at #3 is going to be set up to succeed right out of the gate.

Jeff Wilson and Wayne Gallman

On the other side of the offense, it looks like SF is set up to go with an RB by committee approach again in 2021. They have three RBs that all have performed reasonably well when given the opportunity but none of them really scream lead RB. Both Wilson and Gallman came in for an injured lead back last year and actually performed pretty well. Wilson had multiple 100+ rushing yard weeks and Gallman had a five-game streak where he averaged over 80 yards per game (which would have put him 4th overall last year in yards per game).

Mostert did start off hot in Weeks 1 and 2 but got injured and never really got back to full form. He does seem to have the highest receiving ceiling of the three so I expect him to play a decent amount. He is 29 though so, in addition to his injuries, I expect him to lose his top spot to either Wilson or Gallman. Naming either of those two as a “breakout candidate” would probably be exaggerating a bit but I do expect one, or both, of these guys to take a step up from last year. Regardless, SF is set up with a pretty solid RB committee which should be more than enough considering their stout defense and really exciting receiving group.

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