For me, 2018 started with a wave of hope as a 49ers fan. Despite coming off a 6-10 season in 2017, the trade for and play of new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo gave me confidence for the upcoming season. I wasn’t expecting a trip to the Super Bowl but maybe an improvement to 8-8 or 9-7. Another season with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch looked to a fruitful one. Cassius Marsh, Antone Exum, Raheem Mostert all signed contract extensions but the most important one was Jimmy Garoppolo’s. It was a 5-year deal worth a maximum of $137.5 million.
As free agency rolled around John Lynch & co went to work, signing Richard Sherman from the Seahawks, Jerrick McKinnon from the Vikings and Weston Richburg from the Giants. I was pleased with the signings of Sherman and McKinnon as I thought they’d strengthen weaknesses on our team with experience and big play ability under Shanahan. Trading away Eli Harold and Trent Brown seemed like strange moves at the time but as the draft proved, Lynch had a plan in place.
Finishing the 2017 season 6-10 gave us the exact same record as the Raiders. So, during the NFL Combine, the odd looking combination of John Gruden and Reggie McKenzie stood next to John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano flipped a coin. The 49ers won and picked 9th overall. In a move that especially surprised me, the 49ers selected Offensive Tackle Mike McGlinchey from Notre Dame. It filled a position of need, but I thought that with players such as Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James on the board they would have been better choices. The 2nd and 3rd round selections of Dante Pettis at wide receiver and Fred Warner, despite having only played one season so far look like great picks. Those three players look like building blocks for future success.
With all the hope for this season on Jimmy Garoppolo’s shoulders, it was so sad and frustrating to see his season end with a torn ACL in week 3 against the Chiefs. I know he will bounce back even stronger in 2019. It put C.J Beathard into the spotlight as the starting quarterback. Beathard I think played to standard, throwing 8 touchdowns to 7 interceptions for 1,252 yards in 6 games. He suffered a wrist injury in week 8 against the Cardinals that ended his season. It ended his season because of the rise of Nick Mullens. Mullens became the starter for the 49ers, week 9 TNF game against the Raiders and became a national headline the next day. He threw for 262 yards, 3 touchdowns in a 34-3 win. He’d show everyone that he could play in the NFL finishing the season with 2,277 yards, 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and a 90.8 rating. He was a bright spot for the 49ers, but three stars shone brighter this season.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner had a great season with 67 tackles and 12 sacks. It was real improvement for Buckner who showed off his pass-rushing prowess and started living up to his 7th overall selection. 12 sacks were the most by any 49ers player since 2012 when Aldon Smith had 19.5 sacks. They really need to find somebody else to help improve their pass rush for next season if they want to win more games. Kicker Robbie Gould made 33 field goals, giving him a 97% success rate and a place in the Pro Bowl. However, tight end George Kittle had one of the best seasons of all time. He set the NFL record for most yards by a tight end in NFL history with 1,377 yards on 88 catches with 5 touchdowns. The yardage and catches both 49ers records as well. He will be 1st team all pro. He was simply sensational all year, with great blocking and even better catching, Kittle is one for the future. I can’t wait to see what he does next year with a healthy Jimmy Garropollo.
But despite picking 2nd overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, this season had some silver linings, a large one being Shanahan’s play calling and offence. He was able to manufacture yards and points despite being down to his third quarterback, rotating different running backs and injuries all along the way. If everyone can stay healthy, we draft some solid defensive talent and create some continuity on offence, then next year might bear us more positive fruit than this year.
Image from http://www.nbcsports.com
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