After looking at some Seahawks tape, some thoughts:
The offensive line seems not as good as I thought they’d be.
The defense, while still being super disruptive, is missing more tackles.
Otherwise, they’re still pretty nasty. If Bosa was playing, I’d be more confident that the 49ers could disrupt Sam Darnold enough to stay in it and prove my prediction wrong. It’s still possible, especially if Mykel plays and shows us more in the pass-rush.
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That said, I am confident that Kittle, McCaffrey, and a half-healthy Evans (with a sprinkling of Deebo and Kaelon) are enough to make plays against this defense. Especially if they get the ball in space. The 49ers offensive line gets a great chance to show that their improvement is for real, especially in the run game. That’s where they really struggled in the playoff loss last year.
How to solve Seahawks’ defense? 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan has admitted he’s not one to ask (paywall)
“After his motions, shifts and other eye candy didn’t fool the Seahawks, Shanahan resorted to trickery to try to gain yards in the divisional playoffs. A double-reverse pass gained one yard. A 4th-and-1 option pitch from fullback Kyle Juszczyk to running back Christian McCaffrey lost three yards.
“They’re never out of position,” left guard Dominick Puni said. “They always know where each other is going to be. You can see it on film. They’re always just attached.”
In February, as an analyst, Shanahan explained what made Seattle’s defense so special.
The Seahawks prevent explosive passing plays by playing their two safeties deep, which usually exposes a team’s run defense. However, Seattle can still stuff opponents’ rushing attacks in its nickel defense, using an extra defensive back, and with their safeties residing in Spokane.”
49ers guard Connor Colby shows speed on George Kittle’s long touchdown
“I wouldn’t say I was necessarily gaining on him,” Colby said of his sprint alongside Hufanga. “I was just trying to make a block, but then I realized once I got up there, anything I did probably would have been a penalty. So I figured, I’d just let George run.”
….
“The guy’s definitely an athlete,” 49ers center Jake Brendel said. “He might not look it with his hair and his style, but, I mean, there’s definitely a reason the front office and the coaches liked him. He can run. He can run wide zone. He’s a good player.”
Williams rejected the label of “sneaky athletic” to describe Colby.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Williams said. “I think he’s just athletic. The mullet makes it worse. But if you work closely with him and see him, you know he’s an athlete, for sure.”
49ers DE Romello Height inspired by Patrick Willis to play through broken hand (paywall)
“I was going off adrenaline,” Height said of his second-half performance in the 49ers’ 35-13 win. “I felt pain, but it didn’t matter at that point. I wanted to play for my brothers, and I wanted to finish the deal.”
After further evaluation postgame, doctors determined Height’s hand would require surgery. He had a procedure Sept. 22 that kept him out of the 49ers’ subsequent contest against the Cardinals, before making his return in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos, starting and playing 37 snaps.
Protecting his hand was a club — a club so hard that when Height gave fellow rookie Jaden Dugger a fist bump, he questioned how Height was even playing. Beneath his club was “a lot” of protective padding, Height said, giving the cast so much bulk that it could only be compared to a boxing glove.:
49ers’ Kyle Shanahan delivers positive Mykel Williams and Nick Bosa updates
“It’s been good,” Shanahan said. “It’s been his second week back, so he had a good week last week—even better this week. So, should be good to go for Sunday.”
Raheem Morris, Klay Kubiak, Brock Purdy share updates ahead of 49ers-Seahawks
“A technical quarterbacking question. Your non-throwing arm. What’s the role of the non-throwing arm in throwing and is that something that you’ve ever felt like you needed to adjust or tweak or anything like that?
“That’s a good question. I don’t know to be honest. I think as I’ve gone throughout my life as a thrower and looking at my mechanics and things, that is something that I’ve looked at. How should the opposite arm be? Should it be tight, like you could have your thumb hold your collar of your shirt and stuff and have it tight, but then other guys are out wide. I don’t know. It’s something that I look at every once in a while, but I don’t think it drastically changes my throwing mechanics and stuff. There’s other things that I’d look at rather than that, but it is a good point. A lot of people do look at it, so it’s a good question.”
John Lynch on the 49ers ahead of the trade deadline: ‘I think you’re always in active mode’
“49ers general manager John Lynch was asked about the deadline on KNBR. He said, “I think you’re always in active mode.”
Josh Sweat plays in the division, but names like Khalil Mack, Will McDonald, Danielle Hunter, Josh Uche, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and any other pass rusher with a pulse will be linked to the Niners over the next month.
Lynch continued, “I always say, I think our history speaks to the fact that we will not hesitate to improve this team if we can, and we’ve done that on a number of occasions. So we’re doing our jobs, and real proud of the way our team’s playing.”
