Niners draft ... Ricky Pearsall ... ?

I'm not really too into criticizing Shanny and Lynch's draft picks, or really most of the NFL GMs. This is because I have a fraction of a fraction of a percentage of the time and resources they have in scouting and researching these kids in college.

Sometimes though, I am admittedly confused by a pick (Solomon Thomas). Sometimes it's obvious and no questions need to be asked (Nick Bosa), and sometimes it turns out to be a fantastic if somewhat surprising pick (Brandon Aiyuk, in one of their best trade ups ever).

We all know they like to take swings on WR (Pettis, Hurd, Danny Grey) and they sure like to take special teamers early. But for the most part, they know more than I do so I watch and I speculate and sometimes I cheer and sometimes I scratch my head.

So the selection of Ricky Pearsall was surprising because a. no one projected him as a first round pick - if the mock was a WR at 31, it tended to be Ladd McConkley - and b. with all the BA and to a lesser extent Deebo trade talk, this obviously only heated all that BS up. (Please don't trade them, guys.)

My best guess is they keep BA and Deebo, and Shanny, ever the innovator, wants to run 4 WR sets this season - with Jauan as the 4th, and with Kittle at right side TE. He can line Deebo up in the backfield too, or he can replace Deebo with CMC. I think this would truly strike fear into opposing defenses, depending on how deep and how talented in coverage their safeties and linebackers are.

Now, they could have already done this formation with CMC in the backfield, BA and Jauan out wide and Deebo in the slot (or JJ in the slot and Deebo out wide). Technically. Which means they see something in Pearsall's slot skills that already surpasses what we have on the team already. A lot of analysts list route running as Ricky's biggest asset, along with sure hands.

Well let's hope so, Niners fans. Cause I sure as heck wanted a tackle in the first round. (I know the best prospects were already taken, but a guy like Kingsley Suamataia for example, I've read about, and I don't think he's gonna fall to 63.)

One thing Lynch has is nine remaining picks, and we probably don't need all of those, so I'm still hoping for a Day 2 trade up. Maybe we can still snatch a solid OT prospect (Suamataia, or there is a bit of Roger Rosengarten buzz), or a CB like Cooper DeJean or Rakestraw. Actually at this point a trade up for a solid CB prospect would be great, then maybe we can snag a project like Rosengarten in round 3. But I mean, we can't actually rely on Shanny and Lynch's late round magic every year. Can we??

Civil War by Alex Garland

I saw Civil War last night. I'm a pretty big Alex Garland fan, starting with the Beach which is one of my favourite novels (never saw the movie, which he did not write, and from all accounts is not at all like the book). I also loved Ex Machina, and I really liked 28 Days Later. I thought Men was okay, and sort of liked parts of Annihilation (which, in reverse of the Beach, he wrote the movie script for - and changed the story I think for the worse - whereas the original novel not written by him is phenomenal. In his (or someone's? no one's?) defense, I don't really see how someone could read that book and then try to make a movie out of it). The Tesseract was meh. Devs was a no for me.

But I like where he writes from. But while his can hit the home run, he has a higher swing and miss or swing and chunk rate - and based on some lukewarm to negative reviews out there, I thought this might be a slight chunk.

I don't really want to say too much about the movie itself, as this is truly one where it's best enjoyed going in as cold as possible. And the thing is, a lot of it is, if not telegraphed then at least pretty standard and predictable. The major things that happen certainly, the story / plot points, these are not the surprises. Y'all can guess what's coming.

Doesn't even matter though. I loved it. I'm still thinking about it, and I'm not even sure why. (Okay I sort of know, but it's not for any of the reasons that any review, positive or negative, has focused on so far.)

To everyone who's complaining that he does not take a (left wing) stand, that the movie is meaningless if it's just sits astride the political fence: you have missed the point completely. You went in with a preconceived notion of what the movie was going to be, it wasn't that, and that's your complaint. You swung and missed.

Again, not to throw too much out there, but the movie is about Kirsten Dunst's character Lee, not Nick Offerman's president. And Kirsten Dunst, well this is gonna be an Oscar nomination I'm pretty sure. She's just phenomenal.

Cailee Spaeny is good, mostly. Wagner Moura (Pablo Escobar!) is good almost entirely. But Kirsten Dunst, holy moly.

(Cinematographer Rob Hardy also deserves some pretty major praise.)

Anyway, look. What I'm trying to say is, go in with open mind, because I can almost guarantee you'll walk out having seen something you weren't expecting to.

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By the by, during our screening, there's a scene where someone offers to buy something for $300 CANADIAN (as opposed to US dollars or whatever the currency of the seceded states). Literally everyone cheered, and one guy near the front screamed, "YEAH! FINALLY!" It was just another example of why going to the movies beats watching at home.

Madame Web is okay in my books

I watched Madame Web last night. It's been out for about a month now, surely you are aware of it - whether it's because of its star hating the movie (does she, though? I think at most she's just done with it and is ready to move on, but the world won't let her) or most of the universe hating the movie (13% Rotten Tomatoes), or the vocal (very much) minority who love it because it's 'so bad it's good'.

*Incidentally, these past couple weeks I've been witness to the great Dakota Johnson don't give a f unsheathing, and she's glorious. Previously I hadn't really given her much thought one way or another, but guess what, turns out she's great.

In this movie, Dakota Johnson is not great. Or is she? I like to thing she is, because like, what we see on screen, was that her intention? I think maybe it was! To just be 100% wtf am I doing here, what is happening to me, these lines are terrible, this script should not have been approved, green screen acting is wacky. Yes, this is conveyed perfectly, Dakota! I get it! I see you!

The script. For real, it's not good and in no universe would someone say yes let's spend $80 million to make this. Which is why I think maybe it was Sony's intention to make this movie the way they did, so they end up with this word of mouth cult eventual drinking game thing that lives on long past its tomato-meter.

The supporting cast has universally been called out for indifferent work as well, but I strongly disagree. Sydney Sweeney in particular I think just nails it - and I'm not a Sydney Sweeney stan (if I was, I promise you I would have watched the Voyeurs). But her timid school mouse archetype portrayal of her character was so good. Yes it was one note, they're all one note (script), but she does a fantastic job with what she's given. She out-acts the role. She put way more on screen than what was written on the page, I'm sure.

And hey marketing, I didn't even realize Adam Scott was in this movie until he appeared on screen about seven minutes in. And he too is acting, he's working the best he can with what he's given. Which, spoiler, is freaking Uncle Ben - Peter Parker's father figure and male role model. So it should be a huge part, or could be a huge part. It's not a huge part, it's again very generic and almost gives no nod to its importance. Who cares, says Adam Scott, let's roll camera and do this the same way we did Piranha 3D!

So in summary, go watch Madame Web, don't go watch Madame Web, Dakota Johnson don't give a f.

Kyle Shanahan, Tortured Genius

I've nothing more to add beyond the title and a link to this article by Katie Baker on The Ringer.

Okay I'll add a bit more. I am biased, I am a lifelong Niners fan. I want the Niners to win so badly, for Kyle and for Trent Williams and Deebo and Kittle and Fred Warner and Armstead, for all the players, for Brock Purdy (knowing full well that idiots will continue to slam him even if they put up 40 points) just so he can complete the Rudy.

There's no one on the Chiefs that I can say that about. 'Cause they've already got rings! I like Andy Reid, I have since Philly; heck, I don't even dislike Patrick Mahomes, or Kelce or Chris Jones. But they have rings.

I want Kyle to get that ring, man. I feel like he needs it more than any other human on Earth right now. I want him to even the score with KC, let the universe settle back to a balanced axis. Then we can talk about legacies, and then we can talk about next year.

So go get that ring, Kyle! GET IT!

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In actuality, while obviously Shanahan and all the coaches will be instrumental in the outcome of the game, what it will boil down to, I believe, is Deebo or Kittle or CMC willing a touchdown to happen, and Fred or Bosa or that crazy ass rollercoaster Big Play Dre - or maybe poetically Mooney Ward, who won the last SB matchup between these two teams (as a Chief), making a game sealing sack or pick. It will be a player, or a couple players on either side, willing this win into existence. I'm nervous as hell. It's hard to beat Patrick Mahomes. But I feel that the team wants this so, so badly, for themselves and for each other and for Kyle.

More Purdy Content, Of Course

There are approximately 1,000,000 published takes on Brock Purdy, in print on reputable websites and in video form from NFL (or NFL-adjacent) talking heads. There are another 1,000,000,000 or so more from regular Joes and Jans whose profession is not NFL analysis - just their passion. Or hobby. Or, being a troll is their passion, or hobby.

The takes run the entire range of course, from he's elite to he's trash; the general public's opinions keep closer to the extremes, though even the pros are well divided one way or the other. Very few moderates here. Weird, right? In 2024?

Generally, I like the writers of The Ringer. Nora Princiotti is good at NFL journalism. But even they, and Ms Princiotti here, are caught in the wash of how much Mr 262 contributes to Shanahan's efficacy.

In this particular linked article, I don't know that the writer actually comes to any conclusions or even states any strong opinions. She just seems to lightly label him meh, without saying those words.

The main stickling point for me, though, is this quote:

"The simplest answer is that Purdy is the closest embodiment of one of the NFL’s most enduring debates: QB winz, baby!"

No. Jimmy Garoppolo was and is the closest embodiment of that. The hand-wringing of how much a QB owns wins, or not.

That Purdy elevates the Niners beyond where Jimmy G could take them, is verified by straight up stats, more in-depth analytics, and the eye test. I mean, watch a Niners game people.

Listen: I've watched almost every Niners game over the past what, I don't even know how many years. Certainly this year, and over the Shanahan era. During all of Jimmy's years as starter, never did I feel secure in the knowledge that he could and would lead a scoring drive and/or he would NOT make a fatal mistake to lose the game. I loved Jimmy, he's charismatic as hell, but he was not elite. He was anxiety under center. He was not a tidal boat lifter.

I do think that Brock is able to raise his teammates though. I mean, the yards per attempt stat alone - he throws a very nice, underrated middle-deep ball. Aiyuk is better with Brock behind center. He also throws guys open, which has made a difference for Deebo. He throws bonehead throws every once in awhile too - who doesn't? But, I don't have nearly the same anxiety level when he throws a seam or feathers one into coverage the same way I did with Jimmy. (Two examples stand out immediately: to Jauan on the final drive last Sunday vs the Packers, and that Aiyuk TD against Seattle in week 12. The ball drops in the middle of four defenders. It's perfect.)

Where Ms Princiotti is right on the money is in the headline (which maybe was generated by her editor, I dunno). "The Brock Purdy Debate Isn't Really About Brock Purdy At All." YES! In this regard, Richard Sherman said it best: if all these stats and the record and trips to the playoffs were generated by Zach Wilson, drafted 2nd overall, no one would be questioning the greatness of the QB play. It's because Purdy was drafted LAST overall that people can't wrap their heads around how wrong they were.

Here's another thing that was said this week. "The single hardest thing I had to do this year was act like Brock Purdy deserved to be in the conversations with [Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson]," said Ryan Clark on ESPN. Who asked you to, and why did you agree? Because back in October you called Brock "elite." So ... you said that to cause discord with Shannon Sharpe and bump ratings? Similar to what you're doing here? Well that's cool,. Except for your credibility - that's not cool, that's trash now.

Clark goes on to say Purdy is a fine QB and operates Shanahan's system well - both true. But then, "Brock Purdy doesn’t raise the level of play of anyone around him." Strong disagree. See above.

Brock Purdy is less likely to superman a game winning drive like Mahomes or Allen or Jackson, okay sure. Not impossible, but less likely for sure. But it IS possible though - he just wouldn't do it by flicking the ball 70 air yards down the field, or dancing like a cat around 11 defenders, or running / busting through a linebacker and a safety. Brock would win by recognizing coverage and throwing open Deebo or Kittle or Aiyuk. He might even scramble for a first down or bootleg to wait a guy open. He's 100% capable of doing these things, and that is stuff he is given so little credit for. This is how Montana won. (I'm not saying Purdy is Montana, stop it.)

Brock Purdy isn't "elite" in the sense that he's not a top 5 QB in the NFL in arm strength or run threat or certainly draft status. He doesn't hold the same bag of potential miracles that Mahomes, Allen and Jackson do. But I would argue he's top 5 in processing and decision making, and he's highly underrated in (middle-)deep balls and touch passes. And that stuff does elevate the guys around him 100%. For the best example, see Burrow, Joe.

I'm not saying Purdy is Burrow, just like he's not Montana. He's not Mahomes or any of them. But he is a really, really good quarterback and I bet of the seven other teams that took QBs in the 2022 draft (Pittsburgh took two), seven teams wish they'd taken Brock Purdy.

Quarterback Conversations with Steve Young and Brock Purdy | 49ers

Steve Young continues to be the absolute best.

Nothing more to say than that, just a pleasure watching him interview Brock. That smooth ass lawyer speak comes through like a warm breeze.

Great work no. 8!

Edit: even though blogger and youtube are both owned by google, one is blocking the other here. Why? I don't know. But here is the link for a click, or a cut and paste:

https://youtu.be/iPIgj_I_1Zo?si=E6bdB1UjvsbHRVTC

Frank Gore

Do you like Frank Gore? I love Frank Gore, probably my favourite running back of all time. Not for electricity, but for reliability. You know he's gonna show up and deliver. He was the ultimate unstoppable machine. Frank the Tank. Ricky Watters was electric, but Frank Gore was the Truth.

(Jim Harbaugh, as great of a job as he did with the Niners, made one single glaring but undeniable mistake in his time there. Superbowl 47, down a tonne, he brought them all the way back after the power outage - only to not give Frank Gore two, or three, chances to score from the five yard line. Slightly less unforgivable than the Seahawks / Marshawn Lynch mistake two years later, but a monstrously painful mistake nonetheless.)

(And while we're at it, as much as I loved Kaep and what he did to get the team to that point, at the time and still to this day I believe Alex Smith could have completed at least one of those end zone passes to seal the win. Or, someone - either of them - could have just handed off to Frank Gore damnit...)

Anyway, here is a great article by Tom Junod of ESPN on Frank Gore. Good read, even if you don't love Gore - but do love an underdog story.

Brock Purdy, MVP?

Listen, man: I love Brock. I think he is a really, really good quarterback. He is doing things that not Jimmy G, not Trey Lance (still love you Trey!), no one since Matt Ryan has been able to do in this system.

Take Jimmy G. Love the guy for his heart but not necessarily for his overall game. Jimmy had a phenomenal year in 2019, statistically as well as team-performance-wise. They went to the Super Bowl and almost won! (Please let's not talk about the Sanders overthrow, though obviously there is relevance in doing so.) But man alive I would get nervous as hell with every Jimmy drop back. That is the truth. You just never knew when that underneath linebacker interception was coming. Jimmy was a leader, but he was also the beneficiary of the system - plus the YAC bros.

Brock, however, has vision and anticipation and ability to hit the 2nd and 3rd level windows. That is what is driving this same offense with these same weapons so much farther than what Jimmy was able to accomplish. He knows the routes precisely, he can throw a dot, and he has a timer in his head. Not a time bomb, just a timer. Like the bar on the bottom of the videos streaming in his head. In this one: at 3.2 seconds, WR2 will be at the left sideline 30 yard line and it takes 0.9 seconds for the ball to get there so I'll release ... now. Chunk play!

And yes, those weapons. BA (Aiyuk) just has phenomenal chemistry with Brock, whatever read he is. Deebo and Kittle are still who they are - when you need them for a 15 air yard seam or crosser, there they are, right on time. McCaffrey obviously can literally be anywhere on the field on any given play. And that's not even pointing out Trent Williams, who may actually be the MVP despite never touching the ball. The sum of the parts of this machine is even more than what you think; it's hard, maybe impossible to take it apart and reconstruct it with any one cog different.

(And I haven't even said one word about the defense yet. And after a rocky start, which let's recall Saleh also had a rocky start as the 9ers DC, Steve Wilks is turning it up. He put together a masterful game plan against Philly last week.)

Anyway. So I don't know, is Brock the MVP? If the Niners end up where they want to end up, then I say he's as good a choice as anyone on this team. He is most definitely NOT just sitting back throwing screens and watching guys pick up 20 yards. Brock is slinging it! (The game sealing Aiyuk TD vs Seattle on Thanksgiving is just one example of proof.)

(If you want to be talked at more and better about MVP Brock, read this really well constructed piece by Brian Renick on 49erswebzone.)

(Also, there is a video cut-up of Brock going into that Miami game last year, the Levi's announcer making the announcement, and one of the Niners coaches deep in conversation with a player suddenly looking up confused / concerned and saying, "Brock in at quarterback?" It pops up every once in awhile on my insta, and now actively searching for it, I can't find it damnit. But that's the image I wanted to put at the top of this post. Every time I see it, it cracks me up. "Brock in at quarterback?" LOL)

Jets go all-in for the year - except on the literal field of play

 

I'm not a Rodgers fan, and wasn't exactly pulling for the Jets this season (other than the fact that I drafted their D, plus I like Robert Saleh). But I'd certainly never wish injury upon A-Rod nor any other player - much less an Achilles tendon tear on a guy who's about to turn 40.

The turf at MetLife is notoriously terrible. Remember when the Niners played there week 2 of 2020: we lost Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas both to ACL tears, plus Jimmy G to a high ankle sprain, and Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman both to additional knee injuries. Losing our best defender (the reigning DPOY at the time) and hobbling the starting QB for much of the year derailed that entire season. Five knee/ankle soft tissue injuries caused at least in part by the crappy, grabby turf.

I understand there was new turf installed this year - but it is still turf, it is not grass.

The fact that the Jets AND Giants play there means there is twice the financial backing for field maintenance not to mention twice the team investment to protect against injury. (Same goes for LAR/C and SoFi btw.)

So the Jets pay a bunch for Aaron Rodgers, clearly setting their sights on the Super Bowl. All in, they're all in. And four offensive plays into the year, they've effectively crapped out. (Zach Wilson is not winning the Super Bowl this year guys.) Yes that's football, but also if you're all in, like spending hundreds of millions of dollars on this one goal, don't you want to go all in in every controllable facet?

I'll never know if grass would have prevented this injury, but maybe? If players themselves are calling for grass instead of turf, it's got to mean something.

Really crazy stuff, man.

Nothing Compares 2 U

I didn't post about her passing yesterday, but I surely was thinking about Sinead O'Connor. I listened to Nothing Compares 2 U somewhere in the range of a billion times when I was a teen, full of angst and anger and unrequited love. I didn't know what Sinead was singling about, necessarily, but I felt it. I listened to her sing and I cried, internally or externally, my gloom of teenage tears.

Later on I learned that this song, Sinead’s song, was actually a cover, and that Prince had written it. Which seemed like such an odd match of two completely different artists. But you know, it was really as much Sinead’s song as it was Prince’s song as it was my song. She just felt it the most.

In 2015, I went to see Chris Cornell on his Higher Truth tour. It was him and his guitar, that was it. He played a cover of Nothing Compares 2 U and though no longer a teen, I may have cried a bit. For past me, past heartbreak, for past Sinead, and I didn't know it then, but for future Chris.

In 2018, Prince or I guess his estate released his version of Nothing Compares 2 U. Ironic but not the first time that a songwriter's version of their own song was the least famous. (I'm sure there are a zillion other NC2U covers out there, but you know what I mean.) It is still a fantastic song, though, his version of it. But it’s the third best version.

But about Sinead.

You know I saw somewhere, not bothering to click on the link, but Morrissey said something along the lines of, You praise her now that she's gone, underlying message: you're a hypocrite. While I am no Morrissey fan, in this instance he's not necessarily wrong - a lot of people f'ing hated Sinead back in the day, especially after that SNL performance. But also, while you're still here, Morrissey, let me say this: fuck off already.

I don’t really know anything about Sinead O’Connor other than what I’ve read here and there. But I will forever feel a connection to her because of that song, and how she sang it. It was like her voice transcended the laws of science as we know them, to ascend to magic, something with no explanation, that we can only witness in awe.

I started singing the song after I saw Chris Cornell play it, but in my mind I’m always singing Sinead’s version. And probably will sing it to her tonight.

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A post by Rob Harvilla on Nothing Compares 2 U.